


A Child of War [Discontinued for personal reasons]

by Alys_Gay_Parade



Category: Metal Gear
Genre: Excessive Cuteness, Fluff and Angst, Gen, I'm so sorry this is the most canon divergent thing, Involuntary Child Adoption, Soldiers With Emotions, The corruption of a child through pain and loss, War Crimes, child losing fingers, peace walker to the phantom pain
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-06
Updated: 2017-08-03
Packaged: 2018-09-22 10:17:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 26,482
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9603623
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alys_Gay_Parade/pseuds/Alys_Gay_Parade
Summary: It's funny, the desires of a person's heart and soul. No matter how you train, or how you try to shut those emotions off, there's still a deep need to love and be loved.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So, I'm very excited to post this. I've been working on the idea behind it for the longest time, I'm pretty sure this will keep my interest and be a fairly long fic. Feel free to let me know how it looks, and what you want to see.

It's funny, the desires of a person's heart and soul. No matter how you train, or how you try to shut those emotions off, there's still a deep need to love and be loved. A need to feel needed. And a need for another soul. No matter how much Snake fights these feelings, he realizes that he still needs. He _needs_. Needs another person who was like her. Kind, empathetic, but also harsh and level headed.

He still has nightmares about that day.

Surrounded by the bright, brilliant white of the flowers, and aiming her own gun at her. How she just gave him the weakest smile. He realized that she never wanted this at that exact moment. When he pulled the trigger, he died inside. Watching a dark crimson splash against the white and staining it with _her blood_. The blood of his mentor – no – his mother. It's a blood he didn't share, but one that he was connected to by soul. And her soul is irreplaceable. Nothing can come close to the grief that he felt at that moment.

He remembers collapsing after the shot went off, his ears still ringing. He'd gone through so much. He'd spilled more blood than he can ever atone for. For what? To frame the woman who shaped him of being a traitor? To avoid a nuclear crisis that the government started in the first place for money? _Disgusting_. The Boss shouldn't be remembered that way. She was a hero up until the day she died. Until the day _he killed her_. He's looked to as a hero, but he's not. He's a murderer and a tool.

That's why he started _Militaires Sans Frontieres_. To try and make the world a better place. To stop the tyranny. To stop the destruction of her image. Here he is in Costa Rica, an old oil rig being his base of operations, “recruiting” enemy soldiers. And it's here where something within him stirs again.

This town is abandoned. Dead silence and the sounds of his own footsteps. He should be chasing after those nukes, but he just – something's keeping him here. Something in this desolate neighborhood is stopping him. He can envision streets that were once full of life; children running down the street as vendors try to sell their wares, maybe an elderly couple watching their grand children... and a wave of sorrow washes over him. The foot prints and people's belongings still litter the dirt roads. It hasn't been long.

That's when he hears a noise. A small shuffle. A small, panicked gasp. He looks to the source and notices a foot go through the door of a building that's been shot to hell. Snake is instantly back on guard as he inches closer, readying his knife and tranquilizer.

He walks inside to find a not so surprising sight. A couple dead bodies lie in a heap on the ground, bloated from days of sitting and their blood turning black. The stench alone is enough to break confidence. But then he hears something from upstairs. He takes in his surroundings. Crude drawings of a happy little family stuck to the refrigerator with alphabet magnets, toys sprawled over the floor... he silently head up, his defenses lowering.

Snake finds her there; this little girl, probably no older than five, hiding in a closet and clutching a stuffed rabbit that's just as dirty as she is. She looks up at him with those big blue eyes, her dark brown hair an absolute mess with a single blue ribbon attempting to make some order. Her tan skin is caked in dirt and scrapes, and her outfit is torn at several points. She's trembling in fear, and Snake realizes she's looking straight at his gun. He holsters it and kneels down to her level, attempting to make himself as small as possible. It doesn't help much, as he's never been good at being gentle.

“Are you okay...?” It looks like she's processing his question. She turns her head and ponders before shaking it. At least she can understand him. “Are... are those your parents down there?” She slowly nods, and Snake see tears begin to form. “We need to get you out of here, it isn't safe. The people who did this could come back...” He looks into those sad and terrified eyes, and a need to protect burns within him. He's the only one who can help her right now. He leads her outside and fits her with a Fulton, making sure she's clipped in tight before sending her off.

-

When Kaz sees a confused and terrified little girl be set out of the chopper and onto the landing pad, he himself is overcome with both confusion and raw emotion. He sighs and walks over to her, kneeling down and removing his glasses. “Hey there, bean sprout,” he says with as soft a smile as he can muster. He was hoping it would calm her, but she seemed even more scared instead. Disheartened, he stood back up. “I'm not going to hurt you, kid, jeez.” The child clutches a ragged stuffed animal tightly,tears forming and fear causing her to shake. “You're okay. Boss sent you here for a reason. I can't understand why he'd bring a kid like you here, but I can't really argue with him.”

Kaz walks with her to the medical wing, watching her eyes widen in fear at every soldier they walk past. The kid is traumatized by something, although what isn't exactly clear. She sits in silence as she's looked over. Other than the absurd state of her hygiene and how she hasn't eaten in a few days, she's completely healthy.

“You hungry?” The girl seemed to jump at the question, bright blue eyes still wide with fear. She's a deer in the headlights before nodding at Kaz's question. “My name is Kazuhira,” he says to attempt breaking the awkward silence. “Can you tell me what yours is?”

She's very silent for a long time, until a hoarse voice escapes her, laced with an accent. “Ofelia Franklyn.” Hearing that tiny voice speak so weakly threw Kaz for a loop. He's so used to kids being energetic and talkative, but here was little Ofelia, showing him that something awful must have gone down just from the sound of her voice.

As he watches her eat the food he brought her, getting strange looks from other soldiers, he tries to break the silence again. “Do... do you mind telling me what happened before Boss sent you here?” She stops, fear showing on her face, and Kaz immediately shows that he's dropping the subject. But then her gaze softens, and she sighs.

“I thought he was one of them. I thought he was going to kill me, like the others did my whole village.” He watches her down a whole bottle of water, sympathy for this small child growing. “It was three days ago. Everything was normal. Mama was cooking, daddy was drawing with me... my big brother had just left for America,” she looked to the table, tears silently rolling down her face. “Then the guns started going off. Daddy told me to hide under the sink, so I did. He was scared. I'd never seen him so scared.” Kaz reaches a hand out and puts it on her shoulder, his blank expression masking the raw empathy and sympathy he held for this little girl.

“Men came in and started asking questions my parents wouldn't answer. When they left, I thought it was over, but then... all I heard were lots of gunshots hitting the wall and window. A couple almost hit me.”

“So Boss got you out of there before they came back and found you?” Kaz asked with an air of disbelief. And when she nodded, he just picked her up. “Let's go get you cleaned up. Get you out of those rags. We don't have anything that'll fit you, but I don't think Boss will mind you borrowing one of his uniform shirts to wear as a dress.”

“So...” Kaz asked, helping her adjust Boss's shirt to fit correctly, “Your last name is Franklyn... was your dad from America?” She nodded with a small hum, spinning around as they finished fitting the shirt to her.

“Mama and daddy met when she tried to cross the border. He let her live with him, but she got found and sent back to Costa Rica. Daddy went with her because he loved her that much!” Kaz remembered his parents, and how that whole situation turned out. He wondered what it must have been like, being born into a happy family. “But now they're both gone.” He was yanked from his thoughts to see Ofelia's sad expression.

“Yes, they are... but their memory lives on through you. They will always be a part of you, and therefore, you're never without them.” He felt proud to see that smile at his words.

He took her hand and led Ofelia out to the landing pad, where Snake was jumping out. “Kaz. Why is she wearing one of my uniforms?” His confused expression was also filled with amusement as she shrank back in embarrassment.

“Boss, come on. You know we couldn't let her keep wearing those old rags. They were ripped to shreds and covered in muck.”

“As usual, you're right, Kaz. But why did it have to be mine?” Snake looks down to her and smiles. “However, I have to admit, it suits her.” She seems to smile wide at that, catching him off guard. “Thanks for keeping an eye on her. I'll take her off your hands now.”

“No problem, Boss. She's precious.” Kaz kneels down and holds up a hand, prompting a high five. “See ya around, Ofelia.”

“Bye Kaz!” She waved as Kazuhira walked of to get back to his duties, and turned to look at Snake's puzzled expression.

“I didn't expect him to bond with you so easily, with how shaken up you were.” He gave a chuckle as Ofelia pouted, crossing her arms. “Don't be like that. I'm only giving you sh-”

“No swearing!” Snake found himself staring wide eyed at the ferocity of her yell, as are other nearby personnel. “Adults aren't supposed to swear around kids. That's the law.”

Snake lets out a snort and actually begins laughing, startling the nearby soldiers. That's not something he ever does. Usually if he's laughing, it's because A.) He's having flashbacks and is trying desperately to cope and stop them, or B.) Actually really, really pissed off. “You're a weird kid, ya know that? I expected you to still be cowering in fear, but here you are trying to tell _me_ the rules.” Ofelia looks a tad wary of his words, but he claps a hand on her head and ruffles her hair, causing confusion to cross that tiny face. “I like you. You've got spunk.”

She pushes his hand away and looks up at him as his gaze softens and he kneels down to her. “I don't trust you.”

“I can tell,” Snake says with a small smile. “But you trust Kaz, of all people?”

“He gets me.” Ofelia crosses her arms, the too long sleeves hanging over her balled fists. Snake rolls his eyes and adjusts the belt giving shape to her new piece of wardrobe. She smacks his hand away, prompting a groan from deep within his throat. Anybody in the vicinity is watching intently, wondering how this will play out. Kaz has poked his head out of the room he'd retreated to, pushing his sunglasses up to watch the potential insanity.

“Listen, I'm trying to help you.”

“You just launched me up to a helicopter and sent me of to a military base. How is this any safer than where I was before?”

“Because nobody here is stupid enough to hurt you!” Snake knew he should have kept his voice level, but frustration comes easily to him, and he'd been louder than he'd meant to. And when he notices Ofelia shrink back, regret washes over his face. “Ofelia, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell.”

“I just want mommy and daddy back...”

The sorrow in her voice pierces through Snake. She's a lot like he was at one point; lost, scared, alone. “I know you do.” He pulls her into a hug, relieved when she returns it. “I know how it feels to have lost somebody so important. I know it hurts, and it's scary and confusing.”

“What do I do...?” As he pulls away, he sees tired, tear filled eyes looking up at him. She's just a kid, and even she knows that she needs guidance. “What do I do now? I lost everything....”

“You move on,” Snake says, wiping away tears from that chubby face. “You move on and live for them. You put all your energy into making sure that they didn't die in vain. You dedicate your every action to them, and honor the time they spent with you.” Like he did for The Boss. He reaches up to his face as he feels a single tear fall from his eye. Ofelia looks at him with a mixture of concern and fear before he gently picks her up.

“Are you okay, Boss?” He looks to her, surprised she called him anything. “You're crying....”

“I-I'm fine.... It's getting late.... you should sleep....” He shakes away the emotions he was feeling, carrying the small child that he's introduced into this life. “You can sleep in my room.”

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't really have a schedule for this, so updates may be fairly irregular. As always, let me know what y'all think.

“Boss, we need to talk....” Kaz walks up to Snake, who is downing a cup of coffee, hair tied into multiple ribbons, nails painted, and covered in glitter. He just sort of.... turns to give Kaz a very, very tired look. Kaz just sort of cringes at the sight of his leader. “Boss, what _happened_?”

“Ofelia needed a creative outlet last night, so one of the female soldiers lent her some things. I was her canvas.” Snake pours another cup of coffee and downs it, not caring about the burn. “Kaz, this was a mistake. I shouldn't have brought her here....”

“Actually, that's what I wanted to talk about... morale has never been higher.” This causes Snake to spit take, a soldier taking the stream of coffee to the face.

“She's only been here for two days. Are you telling me that she's already making an impact on Mother Base? And that it's positive...?”

“Yes, actually. The women love her, especially that Amanda that you sent up. When she's not with you, Ofelia has been in the infirmary talking to her. And her brother, Chico? Ofelia has another kid to hang around with. Even though he's 12 and technically one of your troops.” Snake just has a blank expression, masking the pure disbelief he's experiencing. Kaz just looks to the side before putting an arm over Snake's shoulders and smiling. “Boss, you saved a kid and brought her here as an asset to the whole base. Her antics bring all the soldiers out of whatever rut they feel.”

“I can't believe it. And she's... acting like a normal kid...?”

“Well, I mean, it helps that you went back to that town and got a lot of her belongings. Have you seen the main deck yet...?” When Snake shakes his head, Kaz leads him to see that Ofelia has made chalk drawings all over the sides of the base and on the platform itself. Flowers and hearts, clouds and just generally cute, kiddy pictures. They find that she's playing hopscotch with a random soldier that happened to be passing by. “She sure seems happy, doesn't she?”

“Yeah... she does....” Snake feels a smile spread on his face as he walks over to the child in question. “Hey, there, bean sprout. Harassing my recruits again?” Said recruit just salutes Snake and walks off attempting not to laugh, leaving him with his adopted daughter.

“I thought everybody was gonna be really mean and nasty, but they're all really nice to me.” The joy and calm in Ofelia's voice fills Snake's heart with warmth, and he starts playing with her.

“I guess having a bright and smiling little kid around would make anybody happy. It reminds us all that we're human.” He jumps through the chalk squares flawlessly, and watches Ofelia clumsily try following him. “We were all like you once. Small, fragile kids with hearts of gold.”

“What happened to change that?” The look of genuine curiosity caused Snake to sigh as he just sat on the ground beside her and leaned onto his hands.

“The times did. As we grew up, the times changed so that we needed to fight.” He remembers The Boss's words, letting the reality of them sink in. “Sometimes, when the times change, you're forced to do things you regret. Things that, under normal circumstances, you'd never even dream of doing. Not because you want to, but because other people do. In this line of work, you're a tool to a government, and nothing more. That's why I quit and branched off.”

“So you fight for those who can't fight for themselves?” Ofelia's bright blue eyes looked up to Snake with wonder, reminding him of his younger days training with The Boss. He was only 15 when he became her apprentice, and her ability to stay strong and calm at desperate times was something that could never be replaced.

“It's more difficult than that. We fight for anybody who needs us. We are a military without borders, an army without a nation. But yes, that is the most basic way to frame it.” He looks down to her bewildered expression and smiles. “But you don't worry about that. You keep being a kid. You don't need to worry about these things.”

“Yes I do.” It was Snake's turn to give a bewildered expression, seeing the hurt one playing across Ofelia's face. “What if somebody finds this base? What if you get hurt? What if we get attacked?” She looks down and lets a tear fall. “I don't want my life to be taken away from me again. Boss, I'm scared.”

“Ofelia... It's okay. No matter what, we'll protect you. I promise.” He wipes away one of her tears and smiles as she crawls into his lap as they watch the sun finish rising over the ocean.

“You have to leave for another mission, huh?”

“Yeah. Can't help keep the world at peace by just sitting in one place, right?”

“Then do me a favor, Boss....” Snake looks down at Ofelia's serious expression with a soft hum of acknowledgment, watching her eyes. “Be careful.”

“I will... I need to go get cleaned up for my mission. You go back to being a kid, alright?” Ofelia returned the same hum he did, watching as he walked off.

-

“Kazuhira?” Kaz looked from his files to Ofelia, who shyly walked up to him. He nodded, prompting her to ask what she needed to. “Do you know why Boss seems so sad all the time when he's around me?”

Kaz sighs, setting down the paperwork and removing his sunglasses to better look her in the eye. “I'm not going to tell you. That's something he needs to talk about himself, you know? I pressed him for these things once, but he'd rather clock me in the eye than tell me.” Seeing a disappointed look on her face he smiles slightly. “However, I can tell you that you remind him of somebody he lost a long time ago. Somebody he loved dearly. He'd have to explain the details, but just know that you've brought him a lot more Joy than Sorrow. Give it time. He'll tell you.”

Her day was going normally until the helicopter came to land. She had been expecting Snake but instead finds a crippled man. Kaz brushes by her and gets on codec with Snake, as the two men begin talking to him. She goes back to drawing in chalk, just internally sighing.

“And who is this?” The man who just got off the helicopter wheeled his chair over to her, and she got a feeling of anxiety shooting through her.

“Oh, this is Ofelia. Boss found her. Her whole village was pretty much destroyed. Anybody who wasn't killed was taken prisoner.” She shot Kaz a look of betrayal, causing him to stop in his tracks. “Sorry, I shouldn't speak for you. Anyway, he kind of adopted her, so be nice. Boss might throw a fit if she's upset or hurt.”

“So he saved you, too then?” Ofelia nodded at the strange man, getting this weird feeling in her stomach. “My name is Huey.”

“Okay.” She goes back to drawing, but keeps an eye on Huey.

“There's my bean sprout!” Snake chimes as he steps off the chopper and Ofelia flings herself into his arms. “I'm guessing you met Huey already?”

The look she makes at hearing his name gives Snake a feeling of concern. “I don't trust him,” she mutters, her disgusted expression unchanging.

“Well, I mean...” Snake is at a loss for words, and instead looks to the colorful chalk drawings that now litter Outer Heaven. “Wow, you've really spruced the place up. Did you run out of chalk?” She nods, pointing to the empty chalk bucket, where only dust and minuscule chunks remain. “We'll have more for you soon enough, don't worry.”

“Can I do your hair again? You looked nice with lots of ribbons.” Snake's expression becomes one of subdued embarrassment as he hears a few passing soldiers start laughing to themselves. He sighs, shifting his hold on her wrong and feeling pain shoot through his right arm. “Are you okay?”

“I'm fine, I.... I just had to fight off a tank with a brain and personality.” He shouldn't have said that. He realized he shouldn't have said that by the look on this kid's face.

“You said you'd be _careful_!” She hops from Snake's arms and begins dragging him toward the sickbay. Her expression and tenacity reminded him of a moment in his past, back when he was still just a kid training under The Boss. “Do you ever think before you act?” Ofelia's childish voice begins morphing to that familiar motherly voice that The Boss once carried. Scenes begin to mix and mesh, and before he knows it, he's right back to being some sixteen year old kid being lectured by his mother figure.

“I could have lost you. Did you even think about how I'd feel?” Her voice was stern yet worried, harsh yet caring. “Honestly, you can be so stupid and impulsive.”

“I-I'm sorry,” he muttered, feeling ashamed and embarrassed. “You're right, I didn't think, I was stupid. I could have gotten myself killed.” Emotions well up inside of him, and he somehow manages to hold back tears that were begging to be set free. He knew it was childish, he knew there was no place for tears in this line of work. But he couldn't help it. He was still _just a kid_. Tears involuntarily fell down his cheeks in silence, and when his mentor saw them, she could only stop and give a hard sigh.

“It's okay. Everybody makes mistakes. We'll just have to work and make sure it doesn't happen again.” He smiles at her soft words and motherly tone, knowing that he was safe and loved.

“ _Boss. Boss...”_

“Boss! You in there?” Snake snapped out of his flashback, only to find Ofelia, a confused medic, and a slightly worried Kaz standing in front of him. His arm was already relocated and stuck in an air cast for the night to heal. “You started crying and wouldn't respond to us. You okay?” Kaz's concern turned Snake an embarrassed shade of red as he scratched the back of his head.

“It's nothing... really...” He stands up and feels like he's aged probably an entire decade or two. His joints ached and he felt weary. “I just.... I'm not feeling so great. I'm going to go lay down.” As he takes a step, the sheer amount of exhaustion he feels catches up to him, and next thing he knows, hes on the ground, Kaz and Ofelia right at his sides. He feels Kaz's hand brushing his and blushes, hoping that he didn't look too flustered.

“Boss, let me help you. You look fucking exhausted.” Ofelia looks like she's about to call Kaz out, but Snake beats her to it.

“Don't swear in front of kids. That's the law.” There's a moment of awkward silence before the three of them burst out laughing. Kaz helps Snake up, half helping him, half dragging his exhausted body to his room.

“There you go.” Kaz helps Snake flop into his bed before turning to the small child beside him. “Ofelia, you be sure to keep an eye on him, okay? It'd be a shame if he hurt himself further.”

“You got it, Kazzy!” she replies with a tiny salute. The sight of that just fills Snake with warmth that touches his heart. “Imma make sure he eats and sleeps and is back in action in no time!”

“That's a good girl. If you need anything, I'll be in my office.” Ofelia sits down and begins watching Snake intently as Kaz leaves.

“You... you want something?” he asks somewhat meekly, finding her bright blue eyes somewhat intimidating. “Because if you want me to sleep, it's going to be hard to with those big ol' eyes staring me down.” She either doesn't hear him or doesn't care. Eventually, exhaustion takes over, and Snake falls into a deep sleep.

When he wakes, he takes note of Ofelia curled into a ball in his arms, head resting against his chest, breathing softly as she sleeps. She looks so soft and delicate, like the slightest touch could break her. He needs to get up and stretch, but seeing her so comfortable... who in their right mind would want to disturb something so peaceful? He looks to his clock, taking note of how early it was. 3am. He could stand to rest a bit more.

As he sits and thinks about the insanity that his life has become, he takes a moment to just breathe. To realize that he's alive. He has friends that love him and care for him. An adopted daughter that, although she hasn't referred to him as dad yet, clearly has taken a liking to him. And even though she's gone, he knows The Boss would be proud of his accomplishments. Keeping these reassuring thoughts in mind, he slowly closes his eyes and lets sleep take over again.

-

Snake wakes to a cold rag on his forehead, and to see Ofelia and Kaz hovering over him. “W-What...?”

“You developed a fever in your sleep,” Kaz stated, looking away, cheeks flushing red. “Ofelia came and got me when she woke up because you were burning up.”

“You should have seen how fast Kaz ran to get here,” Ofelia's voice chimed, the corners of her mouth turned up in a smug grin. “It's like he was worried or something.” Kaz shot the child a look, face practically glowing with embarrassment.

“Were you, Kaz?”

Kaz turned his look to Snake, wide eyed and somewhat startled. “What?”

“Were you worried?” Snake gave a smug smile himself. He'd never seen Kaz so flustered. It was cute.

“N-No! I just don't want you getting sick when we have things we need to do. That's all. Bad for business.” He looks to the ground, cleaning off his sunglasses before standing and walking off. “I have work to do. See you later.”

Ofelia and Snake watch Kaz walk off awkwardly, and she turns to her adoptive father. “Is he always like that?”

“Like what?”

“Does he always deny his feelings?” The question caught Snake off guard. The kid was smart and instinctive. She had this intuitive nature about her that Snake found more and more endearing by the day.

“Yeah, I guess. He's always been stubborn and hot headed. Makes him likable in a way,” he laughed, noticing the condescending look plastered on Ofelia's face.

“If by likable you mean stupid, I see what you mean.”

“You know,” Snake started, sitting up, “You're really mature for your age. You're only five and grew up in Costa Rica, but you speak English like a twelve year old who was born and raised in America.”

“I get that a lot,” she responds, crossing her arms, embarrassed. “Daddy brought a lot of books for me to read, and I ended up learning to speak and read a lot faster than most kids.”

“Growing up bilingual must have made things harder, though.” Snake was surprised by Ofelia's aloof attitude as she brushed off the observation.

“Pfft, please. It's not difficult to grow up bilingual. Usually, when I asked what a word was, I'd get told in both languages, so I learned pretty quick.” When she noticed how intently Snake was listening, she just looked away, flustered. “Besides, English and Spanish have practically the same sentence structure, just with minor differences.”

“Kids these days are smarter than I thought they'd be. When I was your age, all the other kids were content with sticking worms up their noses and hitting each other with sticks.”

“Sound like a bunch of stupid idiots if you ask me.”

“Hey, watch it. I was one of those stupid idiots.” They share a laugh together before Snake gets up and stretches, heading out to get some food.

Ofelia jumps up and grabs his hand, skipping along beside him. “I did your hair while you were sleeping, by the way.” Snake feels that his headband is tied into a bow and feels several ribbons in his hair. He gives a tired sigh before smiling down at Ofelia. Anybody who saw her now, not knowing her past, would think that she's the happiest kid on earth. Whether or not he's a good father isn't the point.

“Morning, Princess Snake,” Huey chimed, drinking a cup of coffee. The crew around them gave off some nervous laughter as Snake poured himself a cup and sat silently for a moment.

“Morning, pissbaby.” He said it with a smile, emphasizing the fact that he was joking around. He hadn't been in this good of a mood for ages. It felt nice.

“Rude. Anyway, I thought you'd like to know-”

“Not interested.” Huey just kind of blinked at Snake's dismissive attitude. “I'm taking today off to spend time with Ofelia. If I'm her guardian, she needs me around occasionally.”

“You take being a dad seriously, huh?” Huey remarked, sipping at his coffee again.

“Yeah.” Snake looked down to Ofelia, who was desperately reaching for a plate of cookies that was sitting on the far side of the counter. He slid them over a bit with a wide smile so she could have a couple. “Honestly, she's the best thing that's ever happened to me. I feel better than I have in years.”

“Be careful that she doesn't become a distraction.” Kaz comes in and sits on the other side of Snake with a coy grin. “Not that I think she will.”

“You leave my small Costa Rican daughter alone.” As Snake says that, he hugs Ofelia close with one arm. “She is precious and innocent.”

“I'm kidding, Boss... calm down.” Kaz looks at Ofelia with a smile, leaning on the counter. “I'm glad she's motivating you. We needed a lighter atmosphere. But you really shouldn't be taking days off.”

“Yeah, I know... I have a nuclear holocaust to prevent.” He finishes his coffee, partaking in a cookie himself. “Ofelia, sweetheart, will you be okay?”

“I should be asking you that!” The multiple “dawws” around the room caused Snake to flush a bit. “You have a knack for getting yourself hurt. One of these days, you might not come back at all.”

“Listen, bean sprout... I know my stuff. I'll be fine. And if anything goes wrong, Kaz will be there to keep you safe.” He looks to Kaz with a smile, watching as his friend just kind of looks away, disgruntled. “It'll be okay...”

“Hold on a sec.” Ofelia runs off and returns with the same stuffed rabbit she'd arrived with. It's gotten sewn back together and given a good wash since then. Even has an eye patch sewn over the missing eye. “Take him with you.”

“I couldn't do that,” Snake sighed, looking at the small stuffed toy. “He's given you so much courage and strength.”

“That's why I want _you_ to take him. So he can be a reminder of who you have to come back to. And give you the courage and strength to pull through.” Snake didn't hide the feelings that this small gesture made him feel. His one eye was already tearing up at he sighed inwardly.

“Alright. But he needs to be geared up if he's going with me.”

“I can't believe you actually geared up a stuffed animal, Kaz.” Snake held the stuffed rabbit, complete with matching camo and a piece of plastic in the shape of a gun.

“You said he had to be geared up if he was going with, and Ofelia was adamant.” Kaz smiled as Snake rolled his eyes and hopped onto the helicopter. “Stay safe, Boss!!”

“I'll try my damnedest! Keep Ofelia occupied for me!”

-

_For fuck's sake._ The thought echoed within Snake's head as he took immediate cover. He'd tried to stay hidden, he really did. But he didn't anticipate a _fucking helicopter_ to rise up out of the valley like some sort of stupid movie trope. Bullets from both ground troops and the chopper spattered against the rock shielding him, and he looked to the stuffed rabbit that was fastened to his belt. _I have to get through this for Ofelia..._

Taking out the ground troops was easy enough. A smoke grenade and precise CQC took the four down with ease. But now there was the aircraft above to worry about. Snake began to form a strategy when he realized he hadn't brought anything with him that was suited to taking out a helicopter. No RPGs, no grenades... he was fucked. Another spray of bullets came raining down on him. He jumped aside, taking cover behind another large rock. This was insane. He was going to get killed. Reluctantly, he turned on his codec. “Kaz, come in. I'm fucked.”

“So I noticed. This is bad, Boss. You need to take that chopper down. It'll only keep actively following you.” Kaz's hushed whisper, and the sound of Ofelia's voice in the background, reminded him of the urgency of the situation.

“Yeah, but how? I don't have any heavy artillery.” Snake could hear Ofelia asking if it was him, and Kaz just shooing her away.

“Boss, I can't give you any pointers here. You gotta figure this out for yourself. I'll keep Ofelia busy. Call if you need anything else.” The line cut off before he could object, and Snake was alone.

He looks at the chopper, trying not to bring attention to himself. If he could shoot into the windshield, maybe he could hit the pilot and take it down that way... Before he could take action, he's spotted, and dives to avoid another spry of bullets. He's hit in the leg as he dives, letting out an anguished cry of pain. Fighting the blinding pain, he drags himself into a covered location. He took at least three bullets to the leg.

The stuffed animal on his side seems to give him a sad stare. He's got no hope of overcoming this. He's going to fail. Ofelia will be down another guardian. Why is he never prepared? Another spray of bullets fired and Snake ducked his head. This was hopeless. He poked his head over the rock, firing a few bullets at the windshield. He ducked once again to avoid the bullets. After the barrage stopped, he looked again to the stuffed animal, taking a deep breath and stepping out.

Facing the chopper head on without any stronger weapons wasn't the brightest idea. A one sided battle filled with dodging and deflected fire. But he wouldn't give up. During one of the moments of downtime, Snake finally managed to crack the windshield. The bullet didn't go through, but he now has a fair shot. But in the midst of Snakes partial celebration, the chopper takes the chance to fire at him again, this time managing to hit him across his right shoulder as he tried to get out of the way.

Snake was a sitting duck at this point. One arm and one leg completely useless. He staggers to safety, only for the chopper to find another opening. _I only have one shot._ Snake lifts his gun with his good arm, doing his best to aim. Everything is slow motion as he fires, and the bullet goes soaring. He's silently pleading for it to hit. As his bullet flies, so does another flurry of bullets from the helicopter. He dodges, or at least tries to, as he's hit across the stomach. His bullet pierces the windsield into the cockpit and hits to kill. The chopper goes down into the valley with a massive explosion, and Snake is free to relax slightly.

“Boss?” Kaz's voice comes in over the radio, “Boss, you did it!” Snake gives a weary smile before coughing, noticing the blood flying from his mouth. “Boss? Are you okay?”

“I... I'm pretty fucked up. Get somebody down here to grab me. And don't let Ofelia see me like this.” He realizes how weak his voice sounds, and winces as he tries to move.

“On it, Boss. Just hold tight.”

Once snake is unloaded onto Mother Base, he looks with blurred vision to see that Ofelia broke away from Kaz's grasp and is running over. He sighs hard, going into another coughing fit. He can't hear anything, and the world begins to fade from his sight, going into pitch blackness. All he sees is Ofelia's tear stained face before he finally blacks out.

-

“ _Jack...”_

Snake opens his eyes, looking up at The Boss, who gently pets his hair. “Jack, thank god... I thought for a second I'd lost you.” She smiles at him, looking like she'd been crying. “Don't you ever scare me like that again.”

“What... what happened?” Snake's voice cracked, and he began coughing again. Something about this scenario wasn't right, but he could care less. He notices a hand on her shoulder, and looks to see The Sorrow peering down at him.

“You almost died, Jack... but it's okay...” Her voice was calm, and almost sounded sad. The soft petals of the white flowers surrounding him tickled his barren cheeks. He reached up and rubbed his right eye, intact. _Wait a minute..._

“Where am I...?”

The question caught both The Boss and The Sorrow off guard, as their expressions changed to ones of concern and surprise respectively. He watches them look to each other for a moment before The Boss spoke again. “You're on the verge of life and death, Jack.... and I hate to say it, but you need to wake up now. It's not your time yet.”

“But, Boss-”

“Jack, stop.” The Boss sighs and holds him a little closer. “You need to go back. There's somebody who needs you.”

“ _Wake up.”_

Snake opens his eye and draws in a sharp breath. He's in the sickbay, bandaged to all hell. He hears soft sniffling beside him, and sees Ofelia with her face down on the bed. Not much farther away is Kaz, sleeping in a chair. “Hey, bean sprout...”

Ofelia's head shoots up and Snake can see her face is stained by the trails of tears she shed, and her eyes red. “Kaz! Kaz, wake up!!” She jumps up and begins shaking Kazuhira, who almost falls over. “He's awake, Boss's awake!”

Kaz immediately stands, admittedly a tad too fast, and half falls, half jumps over to Snake's side. “Boss, thank god. I thought for a moment you were gone...”

“Well, you shouldn't have. You can't get rid of me so easily. I have somebody here who needs me.” He looks to see the stuffed rabbit stained with his blood sitting in his arms. “Sorry about your bunny, Ofelia.”

She shakes her head with a sad smile before hugging him. “He helped you pull through.” Snake hugs her back, wincing at the pain in his shoulder. “I was so scared, Daddy...” The room fell silent as all staff, Snake, and Kaz just stopped moving and practically stopped breathing. Snake looked to Kaz with a bewildered expression, and Kaz returned it. She just called him _Daddy_. He didn't think that would feel as good as it did, but to hear her acknowledge him as her adoptive father made his heart flutter. Tears well up in his one good eye, and he holds her a little tighter, ignoring the pain in his limbs.

“Kaz, how long was I out...?” he asks with a somewhat soft voice. Kaz adjusts his glasses.

“T-Two days, Boss.”

“I need to get back-”

“No!” Ofelia's yell bounced off the walls, filling the room and startling everyone in it. “You need to rest. You'll just get hurt even worse if you go out again so soon.”

“She... she's right, you know.” A medic walks over and starts marking things down on a clipboard. “You've suffered some severe wounds. It'll be at least another week before you can go back into combat without risk of irritating them.”

“I have to agree with them, Boss. The bullets caused some minor muscle damage, and if you go out now, you risk making it worse.” At Kaz's words, Snake gave a deep sigh.

“I can clear you to leave sickbay, however.” The medic was trying to reassure him, but it wasn't helping. “You just have to stay away from very strenuous activities. That means no sparring, no heavy lifting, and avoid putting too much weight on that leg of yours.”

“Alright, I'll stay on base and relax. I hear you.” The smiles that are shot at him cause him to turn a light pink with embarrassment, and he finds that he can't make eye contact with anybody.

-

Snake crawls out of his bed in the middle of the night, making sure not to wake Ofelia. Her rabbit was washed and given back to her, and she now cuddles it close in her sleep. Snake walks out to the main platform, leaning on the rails and lighting up a cigar, not noticing when Kaz walks up and leans against the rails beside him.

“Can't sleep, Boss?” The question causes Snake to look over with a tired smile. Kaz is just staring off into the horizon, no sunglasses, wearing nothing but his boxers and a robe.

“Yeah, I've been asleep for two whole days. My body won't let me, even though I'm fucking exhausted.” He looks over to Kaz, seeing that the blonde is facing him now with a look of concern.

“Boss, you had me scared...” He inches closer to Snake, hesitant to look him in the eye. He reaches out a hand as if to place it on his leader's shoulder, only to drop it to his side. “At one point, you flat lined. We were both there for that. Ofelia was scared, of course. She was crying and shaking for hours after you were stabilized. But I was traumatized.” Snake was about to say something before he was cut off. “It was more than just the business I was worried about. I like you. I respect you. And over the time we've been working together, I... well, I have very strong feelings of commitment toward you. It's hard to find the right words to describe them, but-”

“Love.”

Kaz stops and spends a few moments staring at the ground in confusion before meeting Snake's eyes. “What...?”

“What you're describing is love.” He was expecting the almost insulted expression that flooded Kazuhira's face, and just sighed. “Listen, I know that I'm an oblivious twit sometimes, but you're more so. You want what's best for me. You worry about me. And even though you hate to admit it, you'd be lost without me. I've seen the way you look at me. I've seen the way you act. You love me.”

“That's.... uncharacteristically observant, and also very egotistical, of you.” Kaz lets out a soft chuckle before a long sigh. “But, you know.... you're right. I do love you. And I'll admit, every time you leave for a mission, I struggle to keep myself calm. The thought of you not returning alive is terrifying.”

Snake waited through a seemingly unending silence before pulling Kaz into a gentle hug. The feeling was awkward at first, but seeing Kaz be struck speechless by something as simple as a loving embrace made him happy. And when Kaz returned the hug, he felt even better.

“Kaz, let's just.... sit and talk for a bit. I have things I need to get off my chest.”

“Sure, Boss. I'm all ears.”

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had so many thoughts for how to do this chapter, and it took a while to make it feel right. The next couple of chapters after this are mostly going to be focusing on the rest of Peace Walker's story, but I promise after that we'll get to more of the wonderful fluffy family dynamic of Snake, Kaz, and this adorable and complex child. As always, let me know what y'all think.

Snake walked up to Ofelia the next morning and dragged her out of bed. “Ofelia, we need to talk.” Immediately at the seriousness in his voice, she jumped up and straightened herself out. “Kaz and I had a long talk last night. And we came to the conclusion that, in case things go wrong, you need to be able to protect yourself.”

“Protect myself?” She followed her father out to the main platform, where he had a few things prepared. Like training mats for instance, in case things got a little too rough, and an assortment of fire arms for target practice.

“If something happens to Kaz and I. If you were to get kidnapped. You need to be able to get yourself out of harms way, when and if that day ever comes. We'll start simple. I'm going to teach you CQC. Although, given how small you are, I'll have to modify it.”

“CQC?” Her eyes lit up in wonder as he demonstrated on a nearby soldier, laughing slightly as he gave a statement of gratitude after being slammed to the ground.

“CQC. A form of close quarters combat developed by me and my mentor.” He walked back over to her, his hands on his hips. That's when Ofelia remembered.

“You're not supposed to be doing any strenuous activities, remember?” She mirrored his stance, cocking her eyebrow condescendingly. “You're still hurt, and you need to be resting.”

“Ofelia, please. I understand your concerns, but you need this.” She was caught off guard by Snake suddenly rushing forward and getting her on the ground with a few movements. “I'll try not to be too rough on you, but training starts now.”

Ofelia jumps up and, while afraid of the serious look in her father's eye, realized that she was excited. She was always scared for Snake, but his line of work fascinated her. He fascinated her. And now she gets to be in his element. He tries the same maneuver again, but this time she was ready. As he tried to hook his hands beneath her arms, she ducked and rolled between his legs, popping up behind him.

“Good thinking, Ofelia. Use their size to your advantage. But don't get too cocky.” Once again, she was on the ground as Snake stuck his foot back and hooked it around her leg. “You need to act as soon as you evade.”

Ofelia nodded, suddenly taking things a tad bit more seriously. She stood and studied her father, looking for openings and weak spots. Again, he dashes at her. She anticipates him to grab her again, but he doesn't, instead opting to jump over her in an attempt to get her from behind. She rolls to the side as he lands and motions to grab, taking his moment of confusion to sweep his leg out from beneath him. Still holding his foot, she jumps onto his back and sits.

“Like that?”

“H-How did you...?”

Ofelia giggles at his utter bewilderment before getting off of him. “You tried to jump over me to get me from behind. So I went to the side and got your leg.”

“I didn't realize you were that fast. But this isn't over yet.” He rolls back into a standing position, and the fight becomes real as they begin circling each other, searching for openings. They're both on guard, not willing to let the other get the better of them again. Snake sees the fire in Ofelia's eyes and smirked. “I can see you're pumped up.”

“I wanna win.” She smiles, and they don't break eye contact.

Ofelia rushes forward and slides beneath Snake as he tries to counter what he thought would be a tackle. He sees her tactic and rolls to the side, not letting her sweep his leg from beneath him again. He sees her foot flying at his face as he's getting up from his roll and grabs it, attempting to flip her onto her back. She uses the momentum to flip up and grab his arm as he lets go, bracing it as her feet touch the ground.

He comes at her with his other arm and flips her again, getting her flat on her back with a loud thud. He's about to pin her when she goes to kick out his leg and throw him off balance, but misses and hits him right in the balls, effectively doubling him over. He goes down with a prolonged squeak, curling up on the ground in immense pain.

“Take five, please dear god, take five.” Ofelia jumps up, muttering apologies, as Kaz runs over to help him up with an amused grin. “Ofelia, don't apologize.... where did you learn to fight like that? You were able to counter most of my counters.”

“I...” She blushes, looking down in embarrassment. How would she put this? “My dad was a part of the drug trade. He gave both me and my brother self defense training in case things went wrong.” And there it was. The absolute shock on the faces of the two men in front of her just caused her to shrink back. “It was the main reason my brother left. He didn't want to be a part of the family business.”

“That... actually explains a lot.” Kaz looked to Snake, who was now pretty much fully recovered and standing straight again. “I underestimated you, Ofelia. You're a natural born fighter. Do you know how to shoot a gun, too?” At that, she shakes her head, causing Snake to laugh. “Guess I'll be able to give you something after all. Come on, I'll teach you.”

Snake leads Ofelia to the little target practice area he'd set up, and watched as he began looking at the firearms laying on the table. “The others are a bit too big for you to carry. So let's start with a simple pistol.” Ofelia takes it in her hands, carefully turning it over to study it. It was intimidating, to say the least. “Worried?” Snake's voice breaks her thoughts, and she just looks to him and nods slightly.

“My dad had a gun in the house, but never let my brother or me touch it. He said it was too dangerous.” Snake nods and presses noise canceling headphones onto her ears before gesturing for her to shoot. Ofelia takes an awkward stance, unsure of how to hold the weapon or how to stand. Snake is just watching with intrigue. When he sees her preparing to pull the trigger, he stops her.

“Okay, bean sprout.” He removes the headset, kneeling behind her to adjust her stance. “Feet apart, one slightly in front of the other. Don't lock your knees. Lean forward slightly. Arms out. Both hands on the grip. Look straight down the barrel with both eyes open.” She lets him move her, taking a deep breath after he puts the headset back on her.

Her heart is pounding, her head spinning. She keeps the perfect stance and takes aim. A few moments pass before she finally pulls the trigger. The recoil catches her off guard, and her arms just turn to jelly. The gun flies back and smacks her in the face, causing her to fall to the ground. Both Snake and Kaz let out audible yelps of surprise, going to her side.

“Ofelia! Bean Sprout, are you okay?” Snake tears the headset from Ofelia's ears and begins inspecting her face for more than just a bloody nose.

Kaz is watching intently, smiling at how worried and loving Snake is toward the child he's brought into this life. His sigh of relief when Ofelia finally responds with a groan warms Kaz's heart. “Morning, bean sprout. You okay?”

“I feel like I just got hit by a semi truck.” Her response causes the two men to laugh slightly before Snake rushes off and returns with a rag for her nose. “How was my aim?”

Kaz stands and looks at her target, letting out a low whistle as he shows the two. “Dead center. Nice hit, Ofelia. Now we just need to work on your balance.” Snake claps her on the back, watching her smile spread from under the now blood-stained cloth.

“Good job, kiddo. I'm proud.” She beamed even brighter at Snake's praise, and he helps her stand. “I think we've done enough for today... let's go see if there's anything sweet in the mess hall for you.”

-

When the medic at the sickbay heard that Snake was training instead of resting, well, there was an uproar. So, he was sitting on the sidelines while Kaz took his place. Ofelia stood in front of Kaz, a bandage over her nose and fire in her eyes.

“Okay, Ofelia. We've seen how you fight in a training session. You're pretty capable. But now it's time to go all out.” He smirks at the serious expression playing across her face. “I'm going to come at you with everything I've got. I want you to try and get me on the ground or in a hold of some kind. No cheap shots.”

And without any further notice, the fight was on. Ofelia immediately dodged to the side as Kaz went to grab her. He anticipated this move, spinning around and sweeping her legs from beneath her. She grabbed onto his leg as he swung it up, dragging her with it. She used the momentum to let go and jump higher, latching onto his shoulders. The poor distribution of weight causes Kaz to fall backward, landing on the training mats with a thud.

“That was a fluke. That-”

“What? Are you being a sore loser, Kaz?” Snake's remark from where he was sitting caused Kaz's head to snap into that direction. “I can't believe how upset you are about being bested by a five year old.”

“Oh, shut up! You got beat by her, too!”

“I know. That's why it's so fun to tease you about it.” Ofelia gets off Kaz's chest, standing and straightening the bow in her hair.

“Wanna go for a round two? Or are you too embarrassed?” Kaz immediately jumps back up and goes to kick her. She ducks and waits for the momentum of his frustrated attack to knock him over itself. “Looks like I don't need to. You're beating yourself.” Snake and other soldiers who had come to watch are laughing, and Kaz stands again.

“Listen here. I will not be mocked by a child who can't even tie shoelaces.”

“I may not be able to tie my shoes, but I can certainly take you down to the ground faster than I did Daddy.” The kick that was sent out this time was not dodged, and connected with her stomach, causing her to go flying a couple of feet and lay motionless on the ground. There's a moment of silence as horror is plastered on Kaz's face. He glances over to Snake, who's expression is a mixture of fear, anger, and surprise.

Kaz slowly creeps over to Ofelia, realizing how hard the impact was, and placed a hand on her shoulder. “Hey, Ofelia... I'm so sorry, I didn't mean-” As her foot flies up and catches him in the jaw, he's cut off by the searing pain. She continues her assault, kicking off the ground to headbutt him in the stomach before punching him in the face as hard as she could. He flops to the ground on his face as she stands over him with an enraged expression.

Huey wheels himself over beside Snake, who's watching with his jaw dropped. “Jeez. I didn't think a kid could take down a fully grown man like that.” Snake just nods in agreement, sitting back and watching with interest as Kaz stands, and the two continue sparring.

-

Ofelia gets slammed onto the mats with enough force to knock the wind from her. Kaz falls onto his back beside her, the two of them struggling to catch their breath. “You're... pretty good,” he acknowledges, removing his glasses to give her a look of pride.

“Same... to you.” She smiles at him before standing, still dizzy from the force of the impact. “Woo... that feels weird.”

“You okay, sweetheart?” Snake walks over, steadying her. She nods and pushes away, walking off the dull pain and soreness. “Are you sure? We can go to sickbay if-”

“Daddy, I'm okay. Just exhausted. I think we should focus on my target practice tomorrow...” Snake watches her walk off with a proud smile on his face. She was so lively. She didn't let her past define her. She just was her.

“Kaz, Are you okay? She gave you quite the beat down,” he asked, remembering that another person he cared about got hurt in the match he just witnessed.

“Yeah... I think. She hits hard. I think getting kicked as hard as she did unlocked some sort of hidden strength or something.” He stands with Snake's help, leaning into him slightly with a hand over his stomach. “She's got some sort of gift, I swear.”

“I know...” Snake watches as she sits beside her chalk bucket and begins drawing, like nothing happened. “That's why I'm worried.”

“What do you mean?” Kaz looked to Snake with a look of confusion. The look on his face was unreadable, masking whatever he was feeling.

“I don't want her to be like me. Not even to aspire to be me. She's just a kid. She has a childhood that she should hang on to for as long as she physically can.” Understanding flooded Kaz's stare, and he looked at Ofelia with a look of sadness as he stood fully, taking Snake's hand and squeezing it lightly.

“I get you, Boss. She's still so innocent, despite the things she's gone through. That's rare for a kid.” He looks to the ground before meeting Snake's eye with a soft smile. “I'm sure it'll all be fine. Regardless of what happens in the future.” Snake smiles back at Kaz, adjusting their hands to interlock their fingers.

“I'm glad I have you.” Snake's statement causes Kaz's eyes to widen slightly and a light blush crosses his cheeks.

“S-Snake... shut up.” He looks away in an attempt to hide the embarrassed expression on his face. “You know I hate all that sappy sentimental shit.”

“I know you _say_ you do. But deep down you're a sucker for it.” Kaz looks at him, removing his glasses to show the half irritated, half embarrassed look in his eyes. Snake just smiles at him, holding his hand a little tighter. “Why don't we take a day off from her training to just... I don't know... have a date?”

Kaz stifles laughter at Snake's bright red face. “Boss... how are we going to have a date on base?”

“I-I don't know.... but I'll figure something out.” Kaz smiled widely at Snake's suddenly bashful nature. Ever since Ofelia's been on base, he's been opening himself up and showing how gentle and kind he can be behind that rough exterior he's put up.

“Well, I hope you do. Because I'm looking forward to it.”

-

“So you want us to help throw together a date for you two?” Snake stood in front of Huey, Chico, and Ofelia the next day, who just sighs and places a hand over her face. “Daddy, you do realize how difficult this is going to be, right? We'll have to get the whole base involved if you want this to go well.”

“I know, I know. But you three are the most.... you know... innocent and emotional people on base. If anybody can put together a date that both relaxes us and is filled with romantic gestures, it's you three.” At the word “innocent”, Chico and Ofelia share a knowing glance before shooting it to Huey. They didn't believe that weirdo was innocent for a second.

“Well, I'm flattered, but I don't know a thing about romance, Snake.” And their thoughts were confirmed. Huey was going to be useless.

“Don't worry about the dead weight, Daddy. Chico and I can handle this.” Ofelia takes a confident stance, eliciting a response from the twelve year old behind her.

“Exactly how are we going to do that?” She turns to give him a smug expression.

“We're kids. If we work our charm, we can get anything we really want.”

And with that, the wheels began to turn in Ofelia's plan. After building a game plan, She looks to the list of things that they'd need. “So... first off, we'll need to gather a bouquet of flowers, as well as a single rose.”

“We can't exactly go out and get these ourselves...” Ofelia just shushed the older boy beside her, causing him to sigh. “How are we going to get our hands on this stuff? Fireworks, flowers, a tape with cheesy romantic music...”

“We get the soldiers on base to do it for us, duh, Chico.” To demonstrate, she walks up to a passing soldier, tugging his pant leg to get his attention.

“Oh, you're Boss's kid. What's the problem?” He kneels down to her level as she puts a pitiful puppy-dog look on her face, hands behind her back.

“I wanted a cookie, but there aren't any out in the mess hall...” The soldier pats her head and heads off for a moment before returning with a cookie. He even hands one to Chico, since he was right there. Ofelia waves as the soldier walks off before turning to her friend. “See? That simple.”

“H-How...?” Chico was flabbergasted. He was legitimately confused by how easily Ofelia manipulated the people around her. “Tell me your secrets.”

“It's all in the eyes. If you strain them enough, you can form tears at any moment. Then you just need to make yourself look as miserable as possible. People do whatever you want them to. I've used the tactic on you a few times.” She took a bite out of her cookie at the end of her statement, further proving her point.

“You are just downright evil.”

“Evil?” she laughed, noticing his offended expression. “I'm not evil, I'm just a kid with nothing to lose.” She finishes her cookie, not acknowledging his distraught. “Come on, let's get started, Chico.”

With Chico begrudgingly helping, it didn't take much persuading to gather what was needed for Snake's perfect date. “Now, we just need to get the mess hall cleared out...” She and Chico walk up to the soldier running the mess hall and begin their facade. “Excuse me, but can we spare a moment of your time?” The man looks down to her, and she makes her eyes a bright as physically possible.

“What's the matter, princess?”

“Well, you see...” She casually digs the toe of her shoe into the floor, looking away embarrassed. “I'm putting a surprise together for Daddy, and I could use the mess hall being cleared out tonight...” The soldier in question sighs heavily, placing a hand on her shoulder.

“Listen, kiddo. I just can't. There's a lot of people to feed.”

“Then just feed everybody first,” Chico came up, crossing his arms. “She's worked really hard to get everything she's gotten together. This is the legit last thing she needs.”

The soldier looks between the two children before sighing in defeat. In just a few hours, things would be ready.

-

“Are you sure about this, bean sprout?” Snake held the bouquet in his hands as Ofelia stood on a chair to reach his hair. She was trying to tame the unruly mane that her father had. Hair gel? Not working. Combing with water? Nope. Just got frizzier. She finally opts to wash and blow dry it, thanking a couple of female soldiers for letting her borrow their beauty products. “It seems a bit excessive.”

“Say that again and this shampoo is going directly into your eye.” Snake pressed his lips shut tightly, letting his daughter do her work. After a condition, wash, and blow dry, his hair was manageable. She reties his bandanna in its spot, taking not of how good he looked after being cleaned up and put into nice clothes.

“I dunno... don't I look a little.... dumb?” He smiles nervously at the offended look on Ofelia's face. “I mean... it looks nice.... but I feel like _I_ look really weird in this.”

“Well, regardless, you're wearing it. I went through a lot getting a business casual outfit for you. So be grateful.” He hands on her hips, Ofelia paces around their room. “Chico should have been back by now. Is he bailing?”

Chico bursts into the room, exhausted, just as she voices her concerns. “I-I'm back.... I just.... had to move around all the tables.... in the mess hall by myself.” He collapses to his knees and catches his breath. “Kaz just went into his office. It's time.”

“Go, Daddy! No time to lose...”

Snake walks up to Kaz's door, inhaling deeply to keep composure. He didn't understand why he was so nervous. Sure, he'd never been on a date before... but surely he couldn't fuck this up beyond repair. He notices his hand shaking as he lifts it to knock on the door. A few moments go by before Kaz opens it, and instantly blushes at the sight of Snake in a dress shirt, cleaned up and holding a bouquet of flowers.

“S-Snake...?”

“Kaz...” Oh, wow. He felt so embarrassed. He was srtuggling to keep his heart from leaping out of his chest. Their faces were matching in their color, and Snake turned to offer his arm. “W-Will you go to dinner with me?”

Kaz couldn't keep himself from laughing at how stiff and embarrassed Snake was. It was a rare sight, and he couldn't get enough of it. He links their arms, smiling up at him. “Of course, you idiot. I'd love to.” As Snake opened the doors to the mess hall, Kaz was greeted by dimmed lights, some cheesy song playing low in the background, and a single candle-lit table with a rose adorning it.

Snake, seeing the room for the first time, was thrown off by how beautiful it looked. Seeing Kaz's expression, his eyes sparkling behind his shades, caused Snake's heart to flutter. He'd have to shower Ofelia in gifts as repayment for helping him out like this. He pulls a chair out for his date, smiling as Kaz sat down with a dazzled silence.

“Snake,” he started after about five minutes of taking in the scenery, “This is fantastic...” Snake took Kaz's hand, smiling at his awed expression. “I don't know how you managed this... and I don't care. It's perfect.”

“I'm glad.”

Out from the back comes a disgruntled Chico, wearing a dress shirt and slacks, as if he were a waiter at a fancy restaurant. He forced away the upset expression he held, holding a pen and paper. “Hola. Are you ready to order?” He almost broke character at Kaz's stifled laughter and Snake's amused grin. This was humiliating to him.

“I-I'll just take a steak. Kaz? What about you?” Kaz took a moment to compose himself, taking a deep breath.

“Same for me, please. That would be great.”

“Also, there's a bottle of wine being brought out, courtesy of the staff,” Chico added, jotting their order down before heading back in. Once alone, Kaz let out his laughter, head down on the table.

“I can't believe how upset he looked. That made my night right there. I applaud you, Snake.” Snake just smiles, rubbing light circles into Kaz's hand. This felt nice. He didn't know how long feelings like this would last. But he knew it felt right, just laughing and loving. He wondered how The Boss would react, seeing him happy like this. She'd probably be happy for him.

They sit there like that for a while, laughing and talking, behaving like any young couple. Eventually, Ofelia comes out in a maid outfit, carrying a tray with their plates, a couple glasses, and a bottle of wine. She slides the plate onto the table, bowing slightly before disappearing back into the kitchen.

“Oh, now that was adorable.” Snake looks to Kaz's warmed expression, filling his own heart with joy. “Snake, tonight is already perfect. If you have anything ore planned, I don't think I'll be able to handle these emotions I'm feeling. I'm already having a hard time grasping them.”

They eat in a calm, content silence, the music playing lightly in the background the only noise. Snake looks to the wine and smiles, pouring a little into Kaz's glass before pouring his own. He raises his glass, obviously making a toast. “To us.”

“To us.” Kaz returns the gesture as they both drink from their glasses and continue their dinner. Even after their plates empty, they sit, hands intertwined, looking deeply into each others eyes.

“I do have one more thing planned for tonight... let's head outside.” Kaz blushed slightly as they took their glasses and the wine with them. When Snake sees the picnic-like setup that is awaiting them, a blanket with pillows laying out on the platform, he just smiles to himself. Ofelia really outdid anything he could have come up with.

He leads Kaz over and sits down with him, bringing the headstrong blonde into his arms. They look up to the sky, clear of clouds and light pollution, causing the milky way and full moon to shine and shimmer against the inky black void of space.

“Oh, wow. I've never seen the sky like this...” Kaz leans into Snake, feeling warm sensations flood through him. Unseen to the two are Ofelia and Chico, preparing the fireworks that they managed to get from the soldiers around base. And soon enough, it begins. Both men are surprised at first, but they begin to watch with a sense of wonder that neither of them had felt in years.

Snake looks to Kaz in the midst of the firework display, locking eyes with him. There's a moment where they just stare at each other, the intensity of the moment filling them. Snake feels himself closing the gap between them, and turns away at last minute, unable to muster up the courage and kiss him. Kaz sees this and turns him around, forcing their lips together.

The kiss lasts for longer than either of them thought it would, until the fireworks stop. Kaz and Snake pull away from each other,stars in their eyes. “D-Do you want to come back to my room?” Kaz's question catches Snake off guard, causing his eye to widen and a deep blush to cross his face.

“Y-Yeah... I... I guess. That'd be nice.” Kaz helps him stand and they walk off, arms linked. Ofelia, watching from her hiding spot, smiles in satisfaction. She knows that this is a step in the right direction

-

“Great job, Ofelia!” Snake walks over to her, a hand on her shoulder. He looks to the target that she had just unloaded a whole clip into, noticing how close to the center all of her shots were. “I think that's the best you've done all week.” She lowers her pistol, engraved and personalized for her, hands wrapped in bandages to prevent callousing, healing bruises covering her from the other day's heavy sparring.

“Thanks Daddy!” She beams up at him as he hugs her with one arm, a look of pride on both of their faces. “I'm glad I got the hang of the recoil. I don't think I could handle another hit to the nose like the first time.” Snake just lifts her off the ground, reveling in her laughter. “Where's Kaz? He's usually here to watch my progress.”

Snake sighs. After last night, Kaz could hardly move. Their hours of passion and lust had probably been heard throughout the base, but neither of them cared. “He was really tired after last night's date. So I let him sleep in.” Understatement of the century? Probably. Snake had to force himself out of Kaz's bed. “Thank you for getting that all together, by the way.”

“It's no problem, Daddy. You deserve all the love in the world.” Snake hugs Ofelia close to him, swinging her around with laughter. He felt free of the burdens he knew he'd be returning to in a few days. She was his. Kaz was his. And they both genuinely loved him.

“And you also deserve all the love in the world. So I hope you enjoy sharing!” Snake wrestles her down to the ground and wiggles his fingers slightly before tickling her sides. Her contagious snort-laughter catches the attention of passing soldiers, who are all watching them interacting with smiles on their faces.

As they begin some light CQC practice, Kaz comes up beside them and lifts Snake into the air. His yelp of surprise is priceless, and he's eventually set down. “Morning, Boss. Morning, bean sprout.” If they weren't on a mercenary military base, this whole interaction would seem normal and perfect. And suddenly Snake comes down from his high at that realization. He's not a normal person. This isn't a normal life. He has so many battles and hardships ahead. _What's going on, what are these feelings, I don't understan-_ He feels tears leaking down his face and struggles to rid himself of them before anybody notices. But it's no use. He sinks to the ground again as a state of severe depression washes over him. Curse this sentimentality.

Ofelia is the first to notice, and she is instantly at her father's side. “Daddy? Are you okay?” Kaz sees his pain and is very understanding, attempting to lead Ofelia away from Snake so he can have some time alone with his emotions.

Soldiers aren't meant to have emotions. They aren't meant to have attachments. The Boss solidified that into him ten years ago. Snake was a soldier, regardless of his personal feelings. He had a mission. And he needed to be loyal to that mission.

 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so ends the peace walker project. I think I'll have a chapter of loving family moments between Ofelia, Kaz, and Snake before jumping into Ground Zeros. So let me know how you guys like it.

A few days later, Snake was back out on his mission, and a mountain of worry was in store for everybody else. Ofelia listens as Kaz instructs Snake on the weakness of whatever monstrosity he's fighting, and she can hear the fear in his voice. She eventually can't take it anymore and goes to see the girl that was sent up. Cécile.

“Well, aren't you a cute little thing?” Ofelia honestly hadn't been expecting the French accent that spilled from Cécile's mouth. It was soft and easy to listen to. Ofelia took a seat beside her, worry for her father flooding her mind.

“How was Daddy when he found you? Was he hurt at all?” The woman looked very surprised at her referring to Snake as her father, and she smiled widely.

“Don't worry, little one. Your Daddy was unhurt.”

Talking with people kept Ofelia sane, kept her calm. And as she ran out of conversation material with Cécile, she finds she's trying to distract herself by drawing. And failing. Ofelia pulls back from her chalk drawing, seeing that she's drawn a lily. She doesn't understand why, but something about it just burns her up inside. Why does it remind her of Snake?

The sound of a helicopter pulls her from her thoughts, and she's about to run over to her father, only to find him jumping off the aircraft with a look of pure malice. Kaz is trying to calm him as they walk, but is startled by how hard he hits a wall, denting it slightly. “Kaz, she played me like a goddamn fiddle!!!”

“Boss, please, you'll get her back for it, but you need to _calm down_.” She watches Kaz take one of Snake's hands, rubbing his back. If Ofelia strained her eyes, she can see Kaz's behind his glasses, full of sadness and sympathy. “You're scaring Ofelia.”

At the mention of his daughter, Snake's anger dissipates into sadness. He turns to see her, and walks over, pulling her into a tight hug. “Sweetheart, I'm sorry. You shouldn't see me like that.”

“What happened?” She wanted answers. Her dad needed closure. She felt her childish tears slipping out. “I want to know why you're like this.”

And so Snake sat her down and explained. He explained the events of operation Snake Eater, how he killed The Boss, how he was lied to, and how the only one who told him the truth betrayed him. And as he talked, he let the tears welling in his eye slip out. He let his voice raise and crack. He let his pain seep into the air surrounding him. Oh, god, recalling it all hurt so much.

“You're so much like her,” he says quietly. “Strong. Brave. Loving.” He looks out over the horizon, pulling his knees close to his chest. He hadn't felt that vulnerable in a very long time. “Now you know. I should have told you sooner. But now, I need to get back out there. I'll get my wounds treated and head out. I need to destroy that thing before The Boss is used to destroy the world.”

Ofelia watches Snake walk off, unable to discern the emotions that she feels. She looks to Kaz, who had taken a seat on the other side of her father before he stood. “Is he going to be okay...?”

“I don't know.” Kaz's voice was barely above a whisper. She could see him shaking slightly. “He's tough, sure. But having to kill The Boss haunts him. I don't know how he'll fare having to relive that.” At his statement, Ofelia looks down to the ground for a long while. She stands, and decides to grab her stuffed animal to give to Snake. He has a hell of a mission ahead. And he's going to need something to keep his head in the clear.

-

Ofelia wakes up cold before remembering that Snake had left immediately. The sun is high in the sky. She figures that she should do something to take her mind off of her father, but she just can't. “I worry too much,” she says to herself before pulling herself out of bed and going to get some food.

Kaz is sitting in the mess hall, and it seems like he's becoming a bit of a nervous eater. He shoves another bit of food into his mouth as Ofelia goes and sits down beside him. “Morning, Kaz...”

“Oh,” Kaz jumps, having not noticed her, before sighing. “Sorry, I'm just a bit on edge.” He sees her confused expression and he knows he can't keep this from her. “I lost contact with Snake. I haven't spoken to him in about three hours.” That causes Ofelia's expression to become one of pure fear, and Kaz just hugs her. “He's tough. Don't worry. Whatever's going on, I'm sure he'll pull through.” He didn't mention not being able to contact Paz. And that's when he realizes, Ofelia's not been given any context for the current mission. Except what Snake told her last night.

“I'm scared for him...” Kaz looks down to her face, her eyes dulled with worry, and just lightly pets her hair. She continues. “He saved my life. Gave me a new family. A new home. I owe him so much. And I don't want him to get hurt.”

“I know. We just have to pray for his safety, right?” As Kaz receives a hopeful smile from Ofelia, his codec goes off. Ofelia can sigh in relief as Kaz is speaking with Snake. And he seems happy, although still slightly worried. They talk for a while about only god knows what before Kaz hands the call to her. “Ofelia wants to talk to you...”

“Hey, bean sprout.” Snake's voice is hoarse and pained, but otherwise alright.

“Daddy, are you okay? What happened?” He chuckles at her worries before coughing a bit.

“I'm fine, like I said to Kaz. My lungs just taste a little burnt.” At her questioning silence, he continued. “I got captured and tortured. But I'm fine, I promise.”

“You better be. If you die before getting back here, I will get a ouija board and plague your afterlife with dumb questions.” The two share a laugh together, and Snake can hear when her laughter turns into soft sobbing. “Please come home safe. Me, Kaz- everybody here needs you.”

“I promise, bean sprout. I'll come home safe. And if I don't come back alive, I promise I'll haunt you.”

“Daddy!” He laughs at her offense and sighs.

“I gotta get moving now, sweetheart. And I'll be in touch.”

Ofelia stayed right beside Kaz. She decided that was best until Snake returned. She could hear their off and on conversations. She knew that he was getting into trouble. She knew he was hurt. And she knew that they were in danger.

The monsters that Snake was working against were targeting mother base. And as Kaz explained this to everybody on board, evacuating civilians, she didn't show the fear that was welling within her. She knew that Snake could do this. He was strong. Brave Loving. Just like his mother, and just like her. And she wouldn't leave her home. She wasn't a civilian. She was Snake's daughter.

-

“What do you mean Ofelia isn't evacuated with the rest of them?” Snake couldn't believe what Kaz told him. What was he thinking? Of all the people on that base...

“I told her, but she refused. She was adamant that this was her home.” Kaz's voice sounded sad. Tired. “She thinks of all of us on board as her family. And she practically slapped me for even insinuating that she be carted off with the rest.”

That stuck with him as he went into the monitor room and had his discussion with Paz. As he got found. And as Kaz contacted him, telling him that they were on their way.

“Don't worry about me, Daddy. I'm coming, too.” As he heard Ofelia's voice over the radio, he could practically feel Kazuhira tense up.

“Before you say anything, Snake, Ofelia forced her way onto my chopper. She's worried and wants to help.”

“How can she help, she's a five year old girl!” Snake couldn't believe the stupidity he was hearing.

“Adopted or not, she's also your kid. And that self defense training you gave her your week on base? Well, she picked up on that. She's capable, Boss. A natural.”

“Kaz, that's not the point, she's-!”

“Daddy, with all due respect, you underestimate me. You told me yourself while we were training, _You're a natural born fighter_.” Snake just groaned and went silent. “We're right behind you, Daddy. One hundred percent. Now quit worrying about me and do your dang job!”

He kept all of that and more in mind as he made his way to the control tower and watched the insanity that was unfolding. He'd been set up. He and Paz. And now, he was powerless to stop the strike that was now directed at Cuba. That was, until, the piercing sound of gunfire rang through the air as Amanda and her people came in to save his ass, led by none other than Ofelia and Kaz. As the fire subsided, they ran over to him. He'd never felt as proud as anybody as he did his little girl right then and there, as she lowered her gun and beamed at him with that knowing and gentle smile.

“You did good,” he said to her as she got back on the chopper with Kaz. “I still have work to do.”

“The AI?” She and Kaz asked in unison, both with their eyes full of worry.

“Yeah. I need to bury it. The Boss is dead. She can't be brought back.”

“Daddy...” He looked into Ofelia's eyes and smiled, holding her hand. “Please be careful. I don't want to have to come save you again.”

“And I don't want that either. I'll be careful.” He looked to Kaz, only to get a look of embarrassment in return. “Kaz. If something happens to me, take care of her.”

“I will.” Kaz glanced over with a soft smile, removing his sunglasses. “We love you, Snake. Take care of yourself.”

-

Ofelia couldn't believe this. Peace Walker was about to launch and the only one able to stop it was dead. Not that Coldman would have anyway. Everybody is panicking, and Ofelia looks to Paz. She's curled into a ball and crying. Ofelia walks over to the sixteen-year-old and hugs her tightly, knowing that any comfort was useful.

“How are you so calm?” she asks, gratefully returning the hug.

“Because I know Daddy. He'll win. He'll save us.” Ofelia's voice was quiet. She knew that there was no guarantee of success. All she knew was that the world was on the brink of tearing itself from the inside out. “I have faith in him.”

“As do I.” Kaz's voice came as quiet as hers. He piloted the aircraft with a blank expression, masking the fear that Ofelia knew he'd been feeling. “If anybody can stop Peace Walker... it's Boss.”

-

Snake unloaded another RPG into an exposed AI pod. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't absolutely terrified. He remembered the Shagohod in Groznyj Grad. This was quite a few levels above that monstrosity. Seeing one of Peace Walker's feet coming straight for him, he ducked behind a building and tried to still his beating heart. He looked to the stuffed rabbit once again strapped to his side.

As he climbs into the Mammal Pod and begins taking out board after board, listening to The Boss's voice slowly distort and give nonsensical speech, he feels himself breaking down. Slamming his fists against the machine, emotions welling up inside. Why had she just given up? Why did she abandon him? Why? _Just tell me why!_

The false nuke data was still being sent. He had to keep up trying to destroy the damn machine. He silently weeps as explosive after explosive is fired into that damn metal frame. But once it stands, he feels like all hope is lost. He falls to his knees and watches as it begins moving towards the water. As it begins to sing. As The Boss begins to sing.

Strangelove was speaking beside him of how she chose this for herself. And everything fell into place. The Boss just wanted peace. She didn't want to spend her life fighting an endless battle. That's why she had just let Snake kill her.

“ _Jack.”_

Jack looks to his side to see the ghostly silhouette of his mentor- no – his mother. She's smiling. She's happy. The Sorrow's ghostly form stands beside her, and they both give him thankful looks. So Jack concludes that this is the final end for her. He unties the bandanna that once belonged to her, throwing it to the ground. He didn't need it any longer. She moved on, and he knew that he should, too. It was going to be hard. But he could cope. He looks to the stuffed rabbit strapped to his side, smiling at the thought of the little girl waiting for him. Jack's little bean sprout.

-

The Helicopter ride back to base was silent. The first night back on base was even more so. Ofelia spent the ride watching her father's face, and thinking about his conversation with Kaz. Did he really feel like The Boss betrayed him? Was he really just going to dedicate his life to fighting an endless battle? She'd stand by him, no matter what. He was her Daddy. If he wanted to spend his entire life a soldier, she would, too.

She wakes early the next morning to find that Snake isn't asleep beside her as he normally would be, so she sneaks out to the main platform to find him, Kaz, and Huey talking quietly among themselves. She assumes that they didn't want her to know, as she watches Snake look around every now and again. And what she hears disturbs her.

“ _Preparations for Metal Gear ZEKE are complete. At least you can finally say I helped you with something.”_

Of course Huey would do something so damn stupid.

“ _We extracted the nuke from Peace Walker off the bottom of the lake. I think we should mount it on ZEKE as our own form of deterrence. Unless you want to get rid of it, Boss.”_

Oh no, Kaz caught the idiot fever, too? This is bad. Surely, Snake wasn't going to-

“ _No. As long as there are nukes out there, we need the security that one provides. I'm all for it.”_

What kind of stupidity was going through their minds? A nuclear armed metal gear on board? This can only end badly. Even a five year old knows that having the _exact thing that they were fighting against_ on board the base was a really, really bad idea. _Adults are stupid._ She inwardly sighs. Huey was stupid for building the metal monstrosity. Kaz was stupid for getting the nuke. And her father was the dumbest one here for allowing the nuke to be mounted on the metal gear.

_Please. Please let my worries be meaningless._

-

“Oh, for Pete's sake...” Ofelia mutters to herself, watching ZEKE begin to move after Kaz's call with her father. She'd tried to warn them. But did they take her seriously? Of course not. She's just a kid. She doesn't understand or grasp the seriousness of their situation. And Snake had the gall to raise his voice at her, too. _This was insane_. “I told you guys! I called it!”

“Ofelia, now is not the time to rub it in our faces. We need to figure out who's piloting that damn thing!”

-

It was Paz. The whole mission, the whole time it had been an elaborate ruse. And the worst part? It was their own fault. He hadn't listened to Ofelia's warnings. She was right from the start. And not only had he ignored her warning, but he chastised her for it. He'd have to make that up to her after this. Paz was threatening to launch a nuke. And Snake was the only person capable of stopping her.

The long and gratuitous firefight ends with Paz being defeated, and Kaz relaying that he knew all along. The long conversation held between Snake and Kaz was one that twisted Snake's stomach in knots. They were going to be a target for the times. And he didn't want to be snuffed out like The Boss was.

“We can't tell Ofelia about any of this.” Snake looked to Kaz with a dark expression, knowing they were treading on Hell's lawn. If she knew the implications of any of this... she'd hate him. She would turn away from him. He wouldn't be a father to her, but no better than the soldiers that murdered her real family. And he wasn't ready to face that music quite yet.

“I know. She thinks highly of both of us, Boss. And if she found out...” Kaz stood beside Snake as they looked out to the ocean, Snake pulling Kaz in close by his waist. He didn't need to say anything else. This was a truth they both knew.

-

Snake was kept up for about a week from unending nightmares. He thought that by abandoning The Boss that his grief would stop. But it hadn't. In fact, it had gotten worse. Much worse. Her voice echoed in his head as he swam through a black void, attempting to escape the fate he's doomed himself to.

“ _Jack. This isn't right. You know it's not. Jack. Jack.”_

He pressed his hands tightly over his ears, desperately trying to block out the empty echo of her voice.

“ _I did nothing but love you until the day I died. But you've abandoned me. Why? Why must you fight an unending battle? Is it not enough that you have your life? Put down your gun like I did mine and live for you.”_

“No! I can't! Boss, why can't you see that?”

“ _You feel guilty. You feel responsible. That's okay, Jack. I understand. But you can't keep hurting yourself like this. You have somebody who needs you.”_

“I've worked too hard to let this all go... I can't.” Jack let his tears fall. He wasn't a soldier in this nightmare. He wasn't Naked Snake. He wasn't Big Boss. He was _Jack_. “I'm fighting for her, don't you get it?! I don't want her to live in a world constantly on the verge of destruction.”

“ _The world will keep getting to this state. It's a genuine fear that normal people have to live with. Eventually, you'll turn her into another one of your soldiers in this futile military, and any semblance of peace will be gone.”_

“No...” Jack's sobs echoed into the void of his nightmare as he curled into a ball, shaking. “Stop it... I....”

“ _If you really love her... if you love her and Kaz... you'll drop this facade. I told you once. You're a natural born fighter. But you're not quite a soldier.”_

He wakes with a start in a cold sweat, sitting straight upright. Kaz slowly sat up, looking at the sleeping child between them. He'd taken to spending the nights with them ever since Snake's nightmares had started back up again. Ofelia would come and get him anyway. He reached out and wiped a tear from Snake's face, pulling back as the man flinched and began sobbing quietly.

“J-Jack...” he knew from experience that calling the man by any of his code names in one of these states caused Snake even worse torment. When he was this upset, he wanted to be seen as a person. Not as a leader. Not as a soldier. He'd made that clear many times.

“I-I''m.... I'm not okay, who am I kidding...” They walk outside so they don't wake Ofelia, and Snake lights his cigar, attempting to block out any and all emotion. “She's dead and gone... but she still speaks to me. She haunts me.”

“Boss, you can't keep beating yourself up like this.” Kaz places a hand on Snake's shoulder, glad that the fresh air eased him up enough to allow physical contact.

“She says to live for myself... but fighting this war is living for myself. If I can one day create any semblance of peace by fighting the impossible... then I will.” Kaz looked onto the waters that surrounded them, tiredly wondering how this would all pan out.

“Are you okay with that?” There was only silence to his question as he looked back down. He probably just asked a question he shouldn't have. Hell, this whole situation is his own fault. He brought Paz here. He initiated a storm of hell fire. And he felt horrible for it. At first, he hadn't realized how much Snake meant to him.... but now? If he had understood these feelings in the beginning.... he wouldn't have even tried this stupid thing. But then Snake wouldn't have ofelia. And she seems to be the only thing keeping him sane.

“There's no escape from it now. I'm trapped in hell. And I'll never be free.”

 


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, guess who's extremely lazy to the point of it being almost criminal? Me. Okay, I've actually been working on getting into art school. Which I start on the 17th. So. Yeah. And my husband's WoW account keeps getting renewed by our GF despite him telling her not to (bless her, I love her). So the laptop that has the currently 37 page document of this fic on it gets hogged bc he doesn't want the subscription going to waste. Oh well, what can you do.
> 
> Please let me know what you think about this! It came more naturally than the first few chapters, so...

Another week flies by, and things on base have seemingly returned to normal. And for the first time since the Peace Walker incident, Snake has relaxed enough to let himself have fun. He sits on the platform, drawing with Ofelia, as Kaz comes over to them, three plates of food precariously balanced. They take a break from their activity to sit and eat together. Snake is allowing himself, for the moment, to forget about the endless fight ahead. If he's going to live for himself, he may as well take some time to smell the roses and enjoy being alive.

“I hope you two enjoy it instead of just scarfing it down. I made it myself and nearly broke my back in the process.” As Kaz looks up, he sees that both of them are already halfway done, mid bite, and staring straight at him. Their resemblance is uncanny. He gives a well meaning and lighthearted sigh, watching the two look at their plates in embarrassment. “God, I love you two so much. Just enjoy the food. And try not to choke as you shove it down your throats.”

Ofelia giggles lightly. It's been a while since they've been like this. She feels like they're a normal family for a few moments. “So...” She breaks the silence, causing the two men in her life to look at her expectantly. “It's my birthday in a few days.”

“Why didn't you tell us like a week ago?” Snake exclaims after spitting his soda. When Ofelia shrugs, both men sigh before pulling her into a tight hug. “Well, I guess Kaz and I will have to not only get a party in order, but we'll have to go get you gifts. You are going to be showered in love and gratitude.”

“We can't spoil her too much,” Kaz reminds Snake, who just gives him an offended look. “I mean, she's probably going to be getting gifts from all the staff on board. What kind of parents would we be if we gave her every little thing she wanted?”

“So you agree that you're the mom.” Snake laughs at Kaz's sputtering. He meant no harm, and as Kaz just playfully punches him in the arm, he pulls his family in close. Life couldn't be better, in his opinion. If he led a normal life, he wouldn't have either of them. He's glad he has these two.

“I'm fine with getting no presents, actually.” Ofelia's statement came as a surprise, and they just hold her close. “Being with a family that loves me is a gift in and of itself.” She thinks back to last year, a birthday forgotten in the family business. Gifts nonexistent, family bickering, and she herself a ghost, watching it all play out. “It's nice... having a real family for once.”

Kaz and Snake share a worried glance before she backs away to give them a sad smile. Snake tilts his head, but doesn't ask. If she has bad memories, the last thing he wants is to dredge them up. But curiosity was a bitch. “Forgive me for asking, but what do you mean?” He immediately regretted asking when he saw the look in her eyes.

“Some things are better off left alone. You should know that by now.” Snake scratched the back of his head, feeling horrible for even asking. Ofelia sighs before going back to her lunch. “Besides, all of them are dead anyway. It doesn't matter anymore.”

“What about that brother of yours? Didn't he leave before all hell broke loose?” It was Kaz's turn to slap a hand over his mouth. Why did he just ask like that? The glare that Ofelia sent him made him feel like a horrible human being.

“It was all his fault to begin with. I don't know what happened after the raid, but even if he's still alive, he's dead to me.” She looks to the food in front of her, suddenly unable to eat. She gets up and walks off, hiding the tears welling up in her eyes.

“Okay, we obviously overstepped some boundaries.” Kaz shoots Snake a look that just says “No shit” before standing, taking her half eaten food. Kaz felt awful for inciting those nasty memories. It becomes clear that Snake wasn't the only one who had needed closure.

Ofelia flopped onto Snake's bed, yelling into the pillow. She hated thinking about her big brother. She knew he'd only been trying to do the right thing. And they'd all payed the price. She thinks about the whole chain of events and soon, she's sobbing hard. That's when Snake and Kaz walk in to check on her.

“I wish I could see him again. He was just trying to help. He didn't know what would happen.” Her pained sobbing causes the two men to give hurt expressions of their own. They take a seat on either side of her and pull her into a tight hug. “The worst part is that you remind me so much of him, Daddy. With so much pain and hurt, but always hiding it to do the right thing...”

Snake shushes her, pulling her in close to rock her and try to ease her sobbing form. “It's okay, bean sprout... Daddy's here for you.” She just starts to quietly hum to herself in Spanish, and Snake tightens his hold on her before looking to Kaz with a knowing expression. They needed to make her feel loved and special, because she was.

* * *

“Well, the whole base knows now. And they've already begun planning the biggest birthday cake I've ever seen.” Kaz plops down on the ground beside Snake as he's looking over the list of things they'd need for her big day. Snake looked so cute when he focused like this. Kaz brushed a strand of hair from Snake's face, smiling at the warm look he got. “You've been working so hard ever since yesterday. Why don't you take a break?”

Snake shook his head, furrowing his brow at the list he'd made and remade. So the cake was being taken care of. He could cross that off the list. He still needed decorations. And gifts. He couldn't afford to take a break. He'd have to go undercover to just go buy things. He stood and walked over to the helicopter on the landing pad.

“We have two days, Snake. I'm sure you can spend one just relaxing.” Snake let out a groan, turning to look at Kaz with a well meaning look to him. “Please. You spent the entire rest of yesterday cleaning the base. You almost fell off the side while mopping the main platform. I can go get things... please just relax for the day.”

“Okay... but only if you go in my place to gather the rest of what we need. From the sounds of things, she's never had a real birthday. So, since it's her first with us, I want her to be overjoyed.” Kaz gently took the list, planting a gentle kiss to Snake's cheek as he got onto the chopper.

* * *

Oh boy, what had he taken up? Kaz strolls through a party supply store, trying desperately to not attract attention to himself. Surely civilians wouldn't recognize him at all... but the thought of his chopper, hidden among the underbrush outside of town, being found by a random passerby was awkward at best. Not to mention that the sheer amount of streamers, balloons, and the like that they needed was ludicrous. One would think he was aiming to decorate an entire neighborhood... and they'd technically be right.

Getting intrigued looks from the other customers, Kaz kept his head down and feet moving. The cart was overflowing. He'd bought out nearly half the stock. The cashier just looked at his cart with a look of fear. Kaz wanted to die. The embarrassment as he casually bought roughly $500 worth of decorations was almost too much to handle. “My daughter's turning six,” he said nonchalantly, only to receive more confused looks.

When he told the cab driver to just wait, that he'd be back, he could have sworn that his driver gave the most offended look. Well, Kaz guessed that had more to do with the mountain of party favors and decorations in his back seat. He rushed into the toy store. He needed only two gifts, one from him, and one from Snake. “Great, I need to choose something that Snake would get a little girl.” Luckily, there was a staff member close by. “Excuse me!”

The woman, clearly bored with her job, sets down the heavy box and stares at Kaz. “May I help you, sir?” She looked like dealing with another human being was the last thing she needed right this moment.

“Um, yes... a... friend of mine recently adopted a little girl. And her sixth birthday is in a couple of days.” Wow, this was harder than he thought it'd be. What was he supposed to say, _My boyfriend and I came into being undocumented parents of a Costa Rican child and since we're soldiers we have no idea what we're doing?_ Yeah, that was suicide. “Do you have any suggestions for gifts?”

The volume of toys that were befitting of a young child startled Kaz. But two things caught his eye. The easy-bake oven and a magnetic drawing board. And once he was safely back in the helicopter on his ride home, he just sighed. Bags upon bags upon bags for Ofelia's party. “I hope she's happy.”

* * *

“You outdid yourself, Kaz...” As Snake helped him unload the rest of the supplies, he pulled Kaz into a hug and planted a kiss to his cheek, causing the blonde to blush.

“Boss, please... you're embarrassing me.” Kaz laughed and returned the gesture, keeping a smile on his face as they finally hid the rest of their surprise. “Tomorrow... we're just going to relax with Ofelia. No training. No prepping her surprise party. I went to hell and back internally buying all of this.”

“I hear you, I hear you... just relaxing tomorrow. But for now... you deserve a reward for your hard work...” Having the statement growled into his ear sensually caused Kaz to flush a deep shade of red, laughing slightly.

“Why don't we go to my room and you can reward me thoroughly...?” He wasn't expecting to be picked up in the manner he was. He wrapped his arms around Snake's shoulders, laughing into him. Soldiers weren't meant to have emotions. But oops, here they are. And Kaz couldn't be happier.

* * *

Snake woke in the morning to Kaz's alarm clock. For a moment, he forgot why he was in Kaz's room, and not in his own with Ofelia curled up beside him. But then he remembered last night as he felt the crust from their seed dried between them as he moved. How long had they been at it? He knew that Kaz got back around seven... but what time had they finally passed out?

He peels himself from his lover, who desperately clings for him in his sleeping state, before heading into the bathroom to shower. But not before looking in the mirror. He looked god awful, to be fairly honest. He was filthy, his hair was a mess, and judging from his face, he'd been crying in his sleep again, although he can't remember any nightmares or any dreams at all...

Regardless, Snake steps into the shower and turns on the water, letting it run over him and soothe his sore muscles. He rests his head against the shower wall, not making a sound as Kaz slips in to join him. “Morning, sleeping beauty. I had a hard time getting out of bed with you holding me back.” Kaz gives an expression of mock offense, playfully slapping Snake's shoulder with a smile.

“Oh, you hush. After a night like last night, I doubt anybody would want to leave their bed. Now move, you're hogging all the hot water.” Snake laughs heartily to himself, shifting positions with Kaz so he could wash that beautiful golden hair of his.

“You know... you're beautiful,” he says after a few minutes of silence. Kaz just snorts, stifling laughter before giving a soft hum and leaning into Snake. “I mean it...” He pulls Kaz in close and holds him as the water continues to run.

“Snake.... the water's running cold.” With that, they step out of the shower and dry off. Snake sneaks a look at Kaz again, smiling slightly at how relaxed he seemed. Kaz, upon seeing Snake just standing and watching him, gave another look of false offense, pe;ting him in the face with his towel. “Dry your hair, you dumbass.”

They leave his room laughing, until they run into Ofelia. “About time you two woke up. I had the cooks help me make a nice breakfast for us.” They give an unreadable expression, causing her to respond in a sigh. “Are you guys still freaking out over the other day?”

“Uuuuh....” Their voices came in unison. Yes. They were very much still freaking out over her breakdown. The two exchange a knowing look, suddenly aware of her actually very offended expression.

“It's fine. Really. I'm over it.” Her tone, and the way she holds herself, shrinking down even smaller, says otherwise. “It's all in the past. Please just forget I even said anything.”

“Sweetie,” Snake started, kneeling to look her in the eyes, “We are going to be worried about you. Sure, you're part of a very... unorthodox and inappropriate situation... but we want you to keep a hold of innocence and childhood while you can.” He cups the side of her face, gently making her look at him. “We didn't get that luxury. And you so desperately deserve it. Don't force yourself to grow up. Not yet. You're too young.”

Kaz watches Snake try to talk some sense into this child, and feels a pain in his chest. He left home to find his father, and was pulled into a life he never wished for himself. Bullied in school in Japan for his Aryan attributes, wishing he knew why he was missing half of his heritage, only to want to impress the guy who left him in the first place and knowing that he never would. Why did he put himself through all that? Shaking away the thoughts, he walks over to the family that he'd pieced together.

“Ofelia... he's right, you know. We may be training you for the worst, but we all need to hope for the best. We're a family that needs to love and support each other in order to function. Us and everybody else on base. Please, please... stay a kid for as long as you can.”

Ofelia just sighs, forcing a smile. “I just wish you could stop worrying for five minutes. I'm really fine.” The two men coddling her stand up and she leads them to the mess hall, where the pancakes, bacon, and scrambled eggs she'd fought with in the kitchen were waiting.

“I was skeptical,” Snake noted after taking a hesitant bite, “but your cooking is actually really good.” Kazuhira nods in agreement, not wanting to be a barbarian like Snake and talk with his mouth full. He opts instead for an enthusiastic thumbs up, continuing to eat. Ofelia smiles genuinely for the first time that morning.

“I'm glad you like it. The cooks only stepped in to help me when I nearly dropped a pan of hot eggs all over myself. This is all me.” She was proud of herself. There were a few moments when she thought she was going to screw the whole thing up, but with people helping her by holding things and flipping things, she managed. “They didn't even notice me throw rat poison in it!” Both men stop mid bite, eyes wide and Kaz's sunglasses sliding down his face, fear evident in both of them. They watched her cheery and unchanging expression as she started laughing. “I'm kidding! I'm kidding... gosh, you two are gullible.”

Both men laugh nervously, eventually turning into genuine laughter as they realize the absurdity of their reaction. They don't notice the looks they get, and even if they did, they wouldn't care how loud they're being. They were happy for now. That's what mattered.

* * *

Their day was pretty much perfect and uninterrupted. Nothing came up. Nobody bothered them. The head medic kept a close eye on Snake from a distance, having taken note of his ptsd lately and his slight limp that would probably go away in a few days.

Ofelia watched her adoptive parents roughhousing in a game of make believe. She laughed as Snake took on the role of a knight defending a princess from a dragon. And putting that dragon in a headlock.

“Will you free her now, you scaly heathen?!” Snake's face was twisted in an amused smile as Kazuhira broke character and began laughing again for probably the fiftieth time that day.

“I would, but I think she's content here! Look, she's falling asleep over there!” Snake looks to see that Ofelia is indeed beginning to doze off. He takes notice of the darkening sky, seeing the last bits of pink and orange light dipping beneath the horizon.

“I think it's time to get somebody to bed.” Snake stood, releasing Kaz from his hold. He scooped up the young girl in his arms, chuckling softly at her exhausted protests.

“I... I'm not... sleepy...” She tries to push away, but eventually just accepts her fate of sleeping as her father cradles her head onto his shoulder.

“Sweetie, you can hardly keep your eyes open...” Kazuhira states nonchalantly, coming forward and petting her hair. “You have a big day tomorrow... you need sleep.” She can only hum in response, begrudgingly letting her eyes fall closed and her breathing even out. Snake goes and puts her in his bed, tucking her in tightly before letting out a deep sigh.

“I love her so much...”

“It's not just because she reminds you of Her anymore?” Snake looks in Kaz's direction, actual hurt and offense hanging on his expression. “I don't mean anything bad by it... but we both know that's what started this.”

“Yeah... but I've slowly come to realize that while they're similar... Ofelia is very different. And that makes me love her more.” Kaz removes his glasses, intrigued by this information. “The Boss always knew that in the end, we were both soldiers. While she loved me like her own child, she knew that one day, we might not be on the same side. She refused to form a closer bond than what we had, leaving me feeling weak and incomplete.” He looks to Ofelia's sleeping expression with a bittersweet smile. “Ofelia's not like that. She has the same loving, worried, borderline suffocating need to care... but she's not ashamed of it. She'll happily mother anybody. The other day she went off on a rant at one of the other soldiers because he cut himself while wood carving, got a medic, and helped dress his wound. She doesn't hide it because she has no reason to.”

“I mean, yeah. Because she's not a soldier, no matter how much she tries to act like one. She's a little girl that had a rough first few years of life. There's no reason to act like you two might not be against one another, because she holds so much trust in you. You _are_ her father.” Kaz's words make Snake smile wider before he's wiping away stray tears.

“Man, the past few months have been an emotional battlefield. Thanks, Kaz. For everything.” Kazuhira only holds him close, smiling himself.

* * *

“Okay, it's seven in the morning, the cake is frosted, the base is covered in streamers and balloons, we have an obnoxiously large pile of gifts for a single child...” Snake looks over everything with a heavy sigh. “Did you have to mark the Easy Bake from me? It seems a little... I dunno... sexist?”

“She's shown an interest in cooking anyway. Besides, I thought you'd probably get her the more expensive gift.” Kaz looks up from where he was steadying his carefully constructed present pyramid, sighing in relief as he was sure it wasn't going to topple. “Man. Even kids with big extended families and lots of friends don't get this much. You think she has a bit too much support?”

Snake scoffs, rolling his eyes. “What kid can have _too much_ support?” He finishes checking his list and smiles. “Can't believe we pulled this off in just a few days. With a day of downtime.”

“When you love somebody, you do crazy things.” Kaz stands and stretches. “Well, we should get the day started.”

After waking the soldiers and getting everything in position – which took much longer than expected – it was almost noon. Ofelia was still asleep, and the whole base was ready to probably give this kid a heart attack. Snake takes a few breaths to prepare himself before gently rousing his little girl from sleep. She sits up, hair a mess and eyes still droopy from sleep.

“Morning, bean sprout. You ready for your big day?” Snake asked, and almost like a switch was flipped, she jumped out of bed with bright, sparkling eyes and a wide, toothy grin.

“BIRTHDAY!” She began bouncing around, ready to jump through the roof with all her energy.

“That's right, kiddo. But first, you gotta get ready for your big day. And your first gift, from Strangelove.” He pulls an overly puffy sky blue dress and matching shoes and white tights from his closet, unable to hide his smile at how happy Ofelia looked. “Go shower then I'll help you get this thing on.”

As he suspected, after a bit of struggling to get his energetic child into the dress, she looked positively adorable in it. “I love it!!” she squealed, looking at herself in the mirror and spinning around. Snake gets worried at the tears in her eyes. “Let's get this going.”

Ofelia almost jumped out of her skin as she was greeted by literally everybody on base shouting surprise at her. She looked from all the smiling faces to the giant cake, to the unbelievable mountain of gifts, to the decor. Snake and Kaz both put a hand on her shoulder. “You like it...?” Her jaw was in a permanent open state. She looked in shock. And for a moment, they were afraid they broker her. Until tears welled up and she started crying.

“Kid?” Kaz tried to look into her eyes as she hid them, sobs shaking her body. “Are you okay?” Snake kneels beside her as well, trying to get her to look at him. She eventually does, a complex mixture of pure, unadulterated anguish and utter bliss playing across her face.

“I'm... so happy....” She sinks to the ground, hugging her knees into her chest. Snake, seeing everybody's concerned expressions, ushers them away for the time being. She was in shock. “So... happy...”

“Honey, it's okay if we messed up-”

“No.” Snake's thought was interrupted by Ofelia's quick response, tears bubbling down her face past a wide smile. “I... just need a second to process this. I'm not alone anymore. I don't need to listen to everybody fight and argue while they forget I even exist. I don't need to make my own cake out of clay and almost burn myself lighting my own candle. I'm truly loved and cared for.”

“You are. And we don't want you to forget that.” Snake sends Kaz to bring everybody back as Ofelia stands. “Ready to feel even more loved, bean sprout?” She nods, taking Snake's hand and putting on a determined smile.

* * *

As the base finishes singing, Ofelia blows out the single six shaped candle on her cake. As Snake cuts her a slice, a bright white flecked with rainbow splotches is revealed underneath the sickeningly pink frosting. His stomach is going to hate him later. But knowing himself, he'll probably eat two or three pieces after everybody gets one. After Ofelia takes a bite and looks like she's about to go into a bad sugar rush, everybody else begins cutting their own pieces. Snake sits beside Kaz and Ofelia, watching as she happily munches her cake.

“You two having fun?” Ofelia just nods as she finishes her cake. Did she even breathe while scarfing it down? Kazuhira lets out a small giggle, causing Snake to smile. Compared to Kaz's more hearty laughs or chuckles, his almost schoolgirl esque giggles warmed Snake's heart more. He didn't do it often enough. “I'm glad.” He finishes his cake in silence, seeing Ofelia's eyes on the mountain of presents.

“Can we open them now? I've been waiting patiently all day.” Kaz puts on an exaggerated thinking expression.

“Well, we did make you sit through dinner before your cake... so... Okay. Let's get this out of the way.” One moment there was Ofelia, then there was just a smoky outline of her as she sped off to the carefully constructed pyramid. Kaz began pulling gifts down for her carefully, Snake watching her open them enthusiastically.

“Okay, here are the last two. One from me, and one from Snake.” She unwraps the gifts to find the oven and drawing pad. She hugs her parents tightly before looking over her gifts and realizing something was off.

“I didn't get one from Huey....” Not that she really wanted it... but everybody else on base had gone through the trouble of getting her a gift. She didn't realize the disappointment showing on her expression until she saw the frustration on Snake's.

“He didn't, did he?” He takes a moment to think before walking off. “Fucking Emmerich... didn't even bother to show his face.” Kaz follows him to make sure he doesn't do anything drastic. Snake walks into Huey's office, leaning against his desk until he's noticed. “Any reason you didn't get my daughter a gift or show up to her party, Emmerich?”

"T-That was... today?” Snake slowly nods, lips pressed into a thing smile to mask his frustration. “O-Oh... I didn't know, I swear. I've been so busy-”

“Cut the crap, Huey. You forgot.”

“... yes.”

“Well, she was disappointed and kinda sad.” Huey sighs before wheeling away from his desk.

“I don't know why. She's never trusted me, despite me having done _nothing_ wrong.” He busies himself with looking through files to avoid eye contact. “It's like she's afraid of me or something.”

“Does she have a reason to be?” Snake's question came out more aggressive than he'd intended.

“Am I being interrogated here?” Huey snapped, looking nervous and frazzled. “Listen, I'm sorry I forgot to get her something. I'll make something for her to make up for it.” He dismisses the conversation and clams up.

“Am I the only one who felt very uncomfortable and suspicious of him?” Kaz asks after a few minutes of walking back to the party. Snake shakes his head, looking worried. “You don't think he did anything to her, do you?”

“No. He's too much of a quivering pussy to even think of it. He knows if he did, I'd throw his ass not only down a flight of stairs, but into the open ocean for the sharks.” Snake sits lost in thought. “But the question of _why_ she distrusts him is very important to me. She hasn't trusted him since he got here.” He's silent for a while. “We should keep an eye on him. I don't peg him as a person who'd willingly hurt kids, but you never know.... it's always the quiet ones that are the most severely fucked up.”

“Right...” Kaz lets worry cloud his mind, not wanting this little family he'd found be torn apart by an outsider.

 


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: mentioned pedophilia, showed grooming, gore mentions, shitty and negligent parenting, a child is being fucking corrupted this whole chapter. VAYOR.
> 
> WOO! Two days equals almost another 6k words and causing myself a great deal of emotional turmoil with my own writing. This was 11 more pages in my OpenOffice document. Fuck, man.
> 
> Also, I didn't want to just stop at the time skip, since it felt wrong. I would've written about some of Kaz's and Ofelia's adventures around the world, but I just didn't really know how. So here you go, The corruption of a child and how it affects them years later down the road. If you want them, drop suggestions for shit and I can make a separate collection just for their 7 years of bullshit before building Mother Base 2: Electric Boogaloo.

It only took a few days for all hell to break loose. It started innocently enough, Kaz having a sauna built for tired soldiers to rest after a long day's work. Ofelia didn't really understand the appeal of sitting in a room surrounded by a bunch of other naked people, while steam gets so thick you think you might suffocate. But then again, she was a little kid with better things to do. Like trying to figure out why Kaz had been spending most if not all his free time in there while Snake went on missions.

She starts her own espionage mission, using all the skills Snake had taught her to follow Kaz and figure things out. She had to admit, she was intimidated by trying to wander into the sauna itself. But she didn't need to. She had ears. She could hear. She could hear everything. The moans, the passion, the seductive whispers... This wasn't good.

Snake had once told her he was afraid of Kaz's womanizing tendencies. But she didn't expect it to go as far as this. For a moment, Ofelia wondered if she was just misinterpreting it. Surely, Kaz could just be giving a tired female soldier a great massage. Right? She cracked the door open just slightly before closing it again, her fears confirmed. Kaz was cheating on her father.

She waited on the main platform for Snake to return, pacing and looking genuinely distraught. This wasn't right, it had to be some sort of weird fever dream. Maybe she slipped into some alternate reality? This isn't canon to her universe, right?

“Hey there, kiddo... you're gonna wear a hole in the base, pacing like that.” Ofelia turns and takes on a defensive stance at Huey's voice as he wheels over. “You don't look too good. Want to talk about it?” As he reaches out a hand to her, she angrily slaps it away.

“Why would I ever want to talk to you about my problems, Emmerich?” Her fists are balled in anger, sadness, and frustration. This was not the time for his stupid face to be plaguing her existence.

“Whoa, okay, I've clearly overstepped some boundaries. I apologize.” Ofelia doesn't relax. She's on edge. She feels betrayed. All of these emotions are just welling up, and she feels like she's going to burst. “Ofelia... are you crying?” She wipes her face with the collar of her shirt, some sort of primal fear surging within her. She didn't like this. There was nobody in plain view. She was alone with him.

“Just leave me alone, Huey.... this doesn't involve you.” She was having difficulty holding in her tears at this point, and on the verge of actual breakdown.

“Why don't we get you somewhere you can calm down? You can tell me all about it.” She reluctantly starts following him, knowing that just waiting for Snake was pointless since he only left an hour ago. “Plus, I have a gift for you I forgot to give you on your birthday. You can play with it and sit on my lap like I'm some sort of paraplegic Santa Claus.” That got her laughing. Something about that bit of self deprecating humor made Huey seem more lighthearted and open.

She takes the small laptop that Huey had made for her, playing the simple learning games that he coded and programmed to teach her basic skills like math, history, and vocabulary. She tried mainly to ignore his questions of what she was crying about.

“Come on, you can tell me.” He wheels over in front of her, prompting her to close the laptop and stay sitting on the ground. “I'm trying to help you... just talk to me.”

“Well... I caught Kaz with a woman in the sauna. And I'm really mad that he would just... cheat on Daddy like that.” She needed to be held by somebody. She needed comfort. So, against her better judgment, she climbs into his lap and relaxes once he starts to pet her hair in a comforting manner.

“That's understandable... he's tearing the family apart by doing that.” Ofelia closes her eyes and lets her tears roll out, leaning against his chest. “I'm sure once Snake finds out, he'll be furious.” She only hums in agreement, feeling tired from all the pent up emotion. “It's okay... you can come to me any time...”

* * *

Snake returns to base exhausted and ready for some quality time with the loves of his life. He wasn't expecting to see Gazelle standing and waiting for him, however. “Listen,” she starts, looking a little uncomfortable, “I wasn't going to say anything, mainly because I didn't know how... but Kaz is cheating on you with several women here on base.” She notices the disbelief in Snake's expression and sighs. “I was one of them. He's a womanizer. And a charmer.”

“How can I be sure that this is true?” Snake asked, raw emotion in his voice.

“Well, Swan just left scratch marks all over his back a couple hours ago. I'm sure it wouldn't be hard to notice that.” Snake, expression twisted with pain and anger, storms off to confront Kaz. Sure enough, when he enters the blond's room, he's changing with his back to the door, and visible claw marks cover his back.

“Miller.” The coldness in Snake's voice causes Kaz to turn and look at him, nervous laughter escaping his throat at the look on his face. “Gazelle told me everything.”

“Snake, I-” He sees Snake's balled fists and stops. “I know that this is a bad situation...”

“Bad situation? That's an understatement!” He takes a step forward and narrows his eye. “Did you even stop to think about me? Or Ofelia? How we would feel?”

“Honestly?” Kaz bit his lip and looked to the ground. He hadn't thought at all, really. It just kind of... happened. “No.” He was fully expecting the contact that Snake's fist made with his face. He blocked it and the two began to brawl. In the chaos, his lamp is destroyed, as well as the table it sat on. Glass and splinters stabbed into Kazuhira's arm, and it was at this point he realized he was outmatched.

Then he remembered Ofelia. He'd been so preoccupied with womanizing, that he hadn't seen her all day. He shoves Snake away from him and they both sand there panting. “What is it, Miller?”

“I just realized that Ofelia's been wandering mother base unsupervised.”

“What have you been doing all day?!” Snake yells, panic fully setting in as he begins worrying about what trouble she could be getting into, especially considering nobody was keeping an eye on huey.

“... womanizing.” Kaz receives a lap upside the head before Snake drags him out to search the base for her.

“We will talk about this later once I know she's safe.”

It's a full hour before they find her wandering down a hall close to Huey's office. Not close enough to be too suspicious, but close enough to cause alarm. She's never usually in this area. Snake grabs her suddenly into a tight hug. “There you are!! Where were you?” Ofelia stays silent and just hugs him back, shifting uncomfortably in his embrace.

“Bean sprout,” Kaz starts, taking a step forward only to notice both the people he loves staring daggers into his soul. He backs down, guilt and anguish coursing through his soul. He takes notice of the bruises on her legs, just barely hidden by her skirt. Red flags and alarm bells trigger in his head. “W-Where'd you get those bruises, honey?”

Snake looks her over to find the marks on her legs and his eye goes wide. “Who did this, sweetie?” He was livid that somebody hurt his daughter, but was struggling to remain calm so he didn't scare her. He watched as she silently shook her head and furrowed his brow, worry hitting him like a ton of bricks. “Ofelia... did somebody hurt you?” The gears were turning as he noticed how far up the bruises went. She once again shook her head. Snake went and tucked her in, watching as she silently drifts into sleep.

Kazuhira sits outside Snake's room, shaking slightly from the realization that his negligence got Ofelia hurt. The last thing he wanted was for her to be hurt, and now he royally fucked up. He slides down to sit on the ground, hugging his knees close to his chest. He doesn't speak when Snake walks out, just lets his guilty tears flow freely.

“I just want you to know that I personally hold you responsible.” Snake sits beside him and looks at the ground. “But... I forgive you for the sauna bullshit.”

“I promise you, it _won't_ happen again.” His voice quivers as he lets that phrase out. He hasn't felt like this in a very, very long time. Probably since he met his dad. The sound of him choking back sobs causes Snake's head to snap in his direction. “I fucked everything up, I'm so sorry...”

Snake presses his lips together and exhales before gently wrapping an arm around Kaz. He's never seen the man cry before. He must truly feel bad for his actions. “I-It's okay, Kaz... we just need to.... look at this as a learning experience and move on.” Snake wipes a tear from his eye, emotion welling up inside of him as Kaz just leans into him and cries ugly tears into his chest.

“I'll find out who did this even if it kills me,” he says through sobs, clenching Snake's jacket in his fist. “I failed Ofelia as a parent. I _have_ to make up for it.” Little did they know that Ofelia was standing and listening through the door the whole time.

* * *

As the months slowly trickled by, Snake began going on more and more missions, leaving Ofelia to her own devices. She quickly went back to being a bored little kid on a military base. All the new things she got were great for the first couple of weeks, but as with any little kid, she wanted something else to occupy her time.

Missing Snake, she's taken to waiting for him on the platform every day. Today, it was raining. She splashed around puddles in her raincoat and rain boots, watching yesterday's chalk wash off the many surfaces she'd drawn on. Something just wasn't right lately. Everybody'd been busy. All the civilians were being sent off. Kaz and Snake wouldn't talk to her about it. They were both frantic. It was depressing. And on top of it, Huey was acting really weird. Like, weirder than normal. Any anxiety she felt around him was amplified tenfold. Snake's helicopter arrives and he hardly gives her a nod as he tiredly walks off to talk to Kazuhira.

“Huey sent a letter agreeing to the inspection.” Snake just growls at Kaz's statement. Ofelia wondered what an inspection meant. “I already evacuated the civilians and Amanda's crew. I don't trust this. We're putting ZEKE on the ocean floor. I've made sure to brief the soldiers and let them know not to give away ZEKE's existance.”

“What about Ofelia?” Snake whispers, not knowing that she was close enough to hear. “If something goes wrong, she'd be in serious danger.” Ogelia pouts. She was honestly slightly offended that Snake underestimated her so much.

“Snake, need I remind you that she helped save your ass? I just know that trying to ship her off would've been impossible.” Kaz sighs and gives a proud expression before continuing. “Besides, people raise their kids on military bases all the time. Have you never heard the term “Army Brat”?”

“I mean- okay. Kazuhira, I'm just worried. The last thing I need right now is her getting hurt. We're all stretched thin and exhausted, and she's hardly gotten any attention since I started going on missions again.” He gives Kaz a soft hug, letting his fear show plainly on his face. “She's too young to deal with any of this.”

“Boss, I promise you. I will protect her with my life.” Ofelia watches her adoptive parents sit there for a while before starting to walk over. She hugs Snake's leg, catching them both off guard. “Hey, bean sprout. You okay?”

“I heard the whole conversation.... are we going to be okay?” Her question in her tiny, pained voice causes Snake and Kaz to share an uncertain look. This is the first time she's spoken more than a single word since the incident. They still hadn't found out who did it, and she occasionally had new bruises in the same general area.

“I'm sure we will be, as long as we have each other...” Snake leans down and plants a kiss to the top of her head, a deep fear welling within him.

* * *

“Do you think he'll find Paz and Chico...?” Ofelia asked Kazuhira sadly as they watched Snake's chopper fade into the horizon. It's been ten days since they told Ofelia about the inspection. The base was finished in its preparations. When she found out Chico had been captured, she was terrified. He was her friend. She hoped he was okay...

“I'm sure he will. He's skilled at this kind of thing.” He puts a hand on Ofelia's shoulder and squeezes it slightly. That wasn't what Kaz was worried about. There was the inspection today. He let his thoughts wander as he watched the heavy rain cause turbulent waves beneath them. “Ready to charm the inspectors?”

“Mhm!” Ofelia and Kaz both force confident smiles to mask the fear.

A few hours go by before an explosion turns both Kazuhira's and Ofelia's heads. The ground beneath them begins to shake from structural instability, and it wasn't long before they were under total ambush. In a matter of minutes, mother base is engulfed in flames and beginning to sink. Kaz holds a terrified Ofelia as she clutches her stuffed rabbit, making sure that they were under cover.

“Ofelia, we'll need to shoot our way out of here. Are you able to shoot a pistol right now?” He pulls a pistol from the storage container beside him, pressing it into her hands and looking her in the eyes, his own filled with nothing but fear, determination, and worry.

“I can try. Kind of having flashbacks right now.” He nods, understanding why immediately. He pulls an automatic out for himself and looks back to her.

“Stay behind me. Keep an eye out. Shoot anybody aiming at us.” She nods, swallowing her fear and following him out from their cover. Kaz could see Snake's helicopter, small in the distance. “We need to get his attention!” He fires bullets into an enemy soldier that was aiming directly at Ofelia, anger flaring. “Anybody that even thinks of hurting you is fucking dead.”

Snake looks at the carnage, pain and anger filling him up entirely. He swears, if anything happened to Kaz or Ofelia... He sees the two on the ground, blasting their way through waves of enemies. He can't see Kaz's eyes, but Ofelia's look glazed over with immeasurable emotion. He has the pilot land and jumps out, watching his soldiers die beside him. Kaz and Ofelia see him and begin rushing over. Kaz is hurt, and Ofelia looks like she took a hit to the arm. Snake helps her and Kaz into the helicopter behind him before taking down some of the opposing men just out of spite and rage. More of the base begins to collapse, and he quickly jumps into the vehicle to escape the sinking remnants of their home.

Ofelia watches in terror as Kaz begins to scream at Paz's weak and bloodied form, death in his eyes. The medic moves aside with Chico, who's feet she notices are bolted. This is all wrong. They were okay just a couple months ago.

“T-There's a...” Paz's foice trailed off and Snake assured her that they removed the bomb. “There's another....” As she opens the doors and jumps from the aircraft, everybody tries to jump and grab her. The bomb goes off too close and everybody is thrown around as the helicopter spirals out of control. Ofelia feels Kaz curl himself around her before they hit another helicopter, and the world goes black. She vaguely remembers waking up momentarily with half her vision red, seeing the bodies around her.

* * *

When Ofelia wakes, her left eye is bandaged and her right arm and left leg are in casts. She looks to see a nurse, who comes over to unhook her IV. She gratefully takes the crutch that's offered to her and hobbles toward Kaz's panicked voice in the hallway. His face has a few bandages on it, and he's limping back and forth outside the ICU.

“Please don't die on us Snake... we need you.... we- OFELIA.” He notices her and rushes over, carefully hugging her close. “Are you okay? Do you need anything?” She forces a pained smile at how protective he is.

“I just have a really bad case of cottonmouth.” Kaz looks like he's about to burst into tears as he stands with a wince and asks a passing nurse to get the girl a glass of water. It's only a few moments before Ofelia's sitting in a chair along the wall with a plastic disposable cup of fresh, cold water. “So... what does it look like under this?” She asks, gesturing with her cast to her covered eye.

“O-Oh...” Kaz grimaces, scratching the back of his neck. “The doctors said that you'd have a really big scar over your eye. They said that it was me curling around you that both broke your arm and leg, but also kept you from getting hurt worse.”

“When you say scar... how bad?” She knew it wasn't a good answer by his expression and change in stance.

“They said that the skin was peeled away and hanging on that side of your face. You might end up being at least partially blind in that eye.” He hesitated before sitting beside her and hugging her with one arm. “Although, it looks like they were able to patch you up pretty well.”

“... Is Daddy okay?” she whispers, not meeting his eyes.

“... They're trying to stabilize him now,” Kaz responds after a long silence. They don't speak after that, waiting for a prognosis.

“We have him stable.” The doctor's words put a smile on both of their faces. “He is in a coma, however.” And their smiles falter.

“A coma?” Kaz asks, almost in disbelief. “Any idea when he'll wake up?”

“No. We will inform you when he does, however. You need to occupy your time for now.”

“Okay...” Kazuhira stands, pacing slightly. “What about our medic? He was our most trusted personnel.”

“He is in the same condition, I'm afraid."

* * *

“Sir, you have a call...” Kazuhira, he and Ofelia about ready to be discharged from the hospital, takes the phone and narrows his eyes. Ofelia watches him growl before speaking lowly into the receiver, trying to remain inaudible to her.

“That was Zero,” he sighs, sitting beside Ofelia's bed as she draws with her left hand. “He claims he had nothing to do with it...”

“I'm sure that's the truth,” she says sarcastically, snapping her pencil in half while squeezing it, startling Kaz. “We have to avenge our family, Kazuhira. They can't just get away with this!!”

“I know, bean sprout... and trust me. If it takes the rest of our lives, they won't.” He presses a kiss to the side of her head as they wait to be picked up by one of their surviving troops.

“So where are we going now?” Ofelia asks as they climb into the car picking them up. “Our base was destroyed...”

“I don't know. But you're going with me, no matter what.” Ofelia nodded, turning over the stuffed rabbit that had been returned to her, sewn up and covered in patches. “That little guy's been through hell, hasn't he?”

“Yeah... but I'm not dead. He must be blessed.” She leans against Kaz's arm, wiggling closer as he hugs her. “I knew Huey was no good. We wouldn't be in this mess if he hadn't screwed everything up.”

“Was it just a vibe you got, or...?” Kaz was still curious as to why she was so scared of Huey.

“Mainly, yeah. I got this sense that he was bad news. Like he was going to hurt everybody.” Well, she wasn't wrong. She takes a long pause before finally laying out the truth. “He... hurt me.”

“What do you mean?” Oh, if Huey was the one who caused those bruises, Kaz was going to have a mental breakdown. He watched her shift uncomfortably, keeping a close eye on her movements and demeanor. “Was he what caused those bruises?” Ofelia nods, letting a couple of tears slip out. Kaz wanted to kill Huey now, in the most brutal possible way. And he knows that Snake would feel the same way. For now, however, he just pets Ofelia's hair as she shifts to lay on his lap.

“He... he did things to me...” Kaz just shushes her. No need to dredge that up at this moment.

“For right now, let's just focus on not feeling like worthless human beings.” He smiles down at her before sighing. “You were right about a lot of things, you know. Snake and I should've taken you more seriously early on.” He felt bad for not listening to her. A lot of things would've been avoided. “I'm sorry.”

“No, it's okay.” She looks up at Kaz with a smile, reaching up with her good hand and poking his nose. “I'm sorry. For making you and Daddy worry so much. I know I get in the way a lot...”

Kaz just grabs her hand and kisses it, smiling. “You're our daughter. You're never in the way. I promise.”

“Good to know.”

* * *

The next few years were nothing but constant turmoil and confusion for Ofelia as Kazuhira took her to Rohdesia so he could be a mercenary in the civil war. They weren't there for long, and before Kaz knew it, he'd struck a deal through his mercenary work and was able to build another base off the coast of Seychelles.

“The place is coming along nicely,” Kaz noted as he walked over the completed platform, the rest of the Diamond Dogs unloading onto it as well. A now thirteen year old Ofelia walked beside Kaz, her old stuffed toy poking from her backpack.

“Who's that?” She asks, pointing to a guy that looks like he was ripped straight from a child's picture book about the old west. She shyly brushes her bangs over her bad eye, suddenly self conscious in the presence of a complete stranger.

“That's Ocelot,” Kaz says, lacking enthusiasm. “I really don't like him, but he's an old friend of Snake's. So he demanded to help build the base.” Ocelot notices the two and wanders over.

“Miller.”

“Ocelot.”

“And you must be the esteemed Lady Ofelia the soldiers keep talking about. Or would you prefer to be called Madame Franklyn?” Ocelot gets on her level, only for her to look away and hide her scarred eye. “You don't need to be scared... I'd never dream of hurting Big Boss's kid. I respect him too much.”

“I'm sorry, Ocelot... She's been through a lot. The past seven years have been nothing but moving around with me while I do mercenary work. Not to mention she's worried about Snake.” Kaz puts his hand on her back reassuringly, prompting her to relax slightly. “This will be the first time in almost a decade that we can have a designated home.”

“Oh, I'm sure that's awful for a kid to go through.” Ocelot looks back to Ofelia and holds a hand out to shake hers. “I'm looking forward to getting to know you.”

“Well...” her voice cracks as she starts, “You are one of Dad's good friends...” She shakes his hand, smiling as he ruffles her hair.

“Also, I like the scar. It gives character.” Ofelia blushes, brushing her hair from her face and adjusting her ribbon. “I'll take her off your hands for a bit so you can get your office in order, Kaz.”

“Oh.” Kaz wasn't expecting Ocelot to be so civil. He shoots Ofelia a look asking her if she's okay with that. She just nods and shoos him off. “Okay, come get me if you need me.” He walks off with a shake of his head. He doesn't think this will end well.

“So,” Ogelia starts after a long silence, twiddling her thumbs, “Why do they call you Ocelot?” The man in front of her snorts a bit before going and sitting with her on the edge of base.

“It's... really stupid. My full code name is Revolver Ocelot. Because I use revolvers.... and.... well.... This is a tad embarrassing.” Ofelia keeps a curious gaze as he breathes deeply. “When I was working for the soviets back in '64... I lead my own unit. And all of my signals were cat noises. Sometimes I could only communicate in them.”

“Do you ever do it involuntarily?” she asks, pulling a sucker from her backpack. “Like, hiss and yowl if you get scared or angry? Do you purr?”

“... Did your father or Kaz teach you to be so up front and personal?” Ocelot couldn't believe the rudeness of this kid. She just sits there, sucking on her candy, dangling her feet over the edge of the platform.

“Mainly Kaz. I only really knew Daddy for a few months before...” A look of rage crosses her face and she grips her bag, knuckles turning white. “Before Skull Face ambushed us. Before Huey screwed us over. Before Zero set us up.” The kid looked like she was ready to kill somebody, especially with the way she spat Huey's name. “Kaz and I are going to get back at all of them.”

“Are you planning on fighting?” Ocelot asked, looking her over. Poofy, black layered dress adorned with ribbons and hearts, a single ribbon in her hair, tights and Mary Janes... “Because you really don't look like it.”

“Every time I ask, Kaz says no. That I'm too young. Too fragile... he doesn't want me to grow up too fast.” She lays back, sighing. “So when we stopped in his home town, I conceded and let him buy me this dress and decided to be content with just being his little girl. I know how to fight. I know how to use a gun. I can take care of myself. But he just.... won't let me.”

Ocelot watches as she slams her fist against the ground in frustration and thinks. “You could always just... you know.... do it anyway.” He stands and looks her over again before smirking. “Hell, you could fight in that with a change of shoes... get you some combat boots, you'd be able to do pretty much anything.”

“Really?” Ofelia sits up and blinks, eyes sparkling. “I can be cute and a soldier?”

“As Snake once asked, what's wrong with being cute? He has a habit of wearing unorthodox outfits on missions.” Ocelot puts his hands on his hips with a smirk.

“Can my combat boots have light up soles?” That question caused Ocelot to lose it, and when he noticed his laughing cause a discouraged look on her face, he composed himself. “Of course. I'll have them specially ordered.” He wasn't expecting the child to jump into his arms and hug him.

“Thank you Uncle Ocelot, that means so much to me!!!” He swears that if she had a tail it'd be wagging.

* * *

Ofelia busts open Kazuhira's door a few days later, a confident fire burning in her eyes. “Kazuhira, I've made an important fucking decision!!!”

Kazuhira spits his coffee. It's only nine in the morning and she's already wearing him out. “Honey, don't swear... also, what is it?” _I swear to god, if she asks about fighting one more time..._

“Imma be a soldier!!” The look on her face showed her determination. And Kaz found himself more shocked this time. She was usually very shy about it and beat around the bush. But she was _declaring_ it today.

“NO.” He had to be firm. Put his foot down. If he let her do this, Snake would never forgive him. They made a promise to not let her get involved.

“Too bad! I already have my combat boots! And...” She stomps her foot on the ground, her soles lighting up and flashing slowly. “They light up!!”

“That's cute, bean sprout, but would easily give away your position. You may as well be wearing a target on your back.” He had to remain blunt.

“Daddy would at least humor me. He'd probably _let_ me join you guys...” And so begins the guilt tripping. Kaz had dealt with this more than enough times.

“No, Ofelia,” he said sternly. “Snake wouldn't have let you. He and I specifically promised each other that you'd stay out of all of it and not get involved. You don't need to join in. You don't need to grow up so fast.” Ofelia frowned so violently that he was afraid he'd ruined their relationship from her look alone. But then she spoke.

“How do you know what Dad would have done? You aren't him!! And honestly, with how stubborn you are, I don't know what he ever saw in you. Sometimes I wish he hadn't forgiven you for the sauna fiasco.” Oh, that was it. Kaz stood, furrowing his brow in anger.

“Ofelia, I understand that you're a teenager and going through hormones... but that doesn't give you the right to speak to me like that.” He took off his sunglasses to look her in the eye as he approached. “My answer. Is NO.”

“I wish you were in a coma, too!!” The silence following Kaz slapping her across the face was heavy, and became tense as he realized what he just did. He took a deep breath to compose himself, his voice shaking.

“Ofelia.... you're grounded. Go to your room. Now.” He slowly sits back down as she gently shuts the door on her way out. He feels tears prick his eyes, and just sets his paperwork aside and lays his head on his desk to cry silently.

Ocelot sees Ofelia walking and is about to ask her how the confrontation went, only to see her crying and go straight into her room. He approaches and listens to her sob for a few moments before knocking and poking his head in. “Hey there, kitten... y'alright?” He comes in and sits on the edge of her bed, watching her cry into her pillow. He sees the hand print on her face when she sits up, and a weird protective feeling wells within him.

“I deserved it. What I said was uncalled for.” She pulls her knees close and sniffles, tightly shutting her eyes. “Why did I think that was a good idea....?” Her sobs come out again, and before he knows it, Ocelot is storming off toward Kaz's office.

“Miller, you feel good hitting a little girl?” he asks as he swings open the door and slams his hands down on Kaz's desk. “I mean, I'm not much of a prize myself, but Jesus, have some fucking morality.”

“I didn't even mean to do it, okay?! I blacked out for a sec, and the next thing I know, my hand's in the air and she's holding her face.” Kaz pushes away from his desk and stands, pacing. “I feel fucking awful. If Snake was here, he'd fucking kill me, probably. Nobody harms a hair on her head without repercussions.”

“You're damn right, they don't.” Ocelot grabs Kaz by the collar of his shirt, slamming him against the wall. “As far as I'm concerned, I'm stepping in as her secondary guardian. Your ass needs to be kept in line.”

“I don't need your help, Ocelot!!” Kaz yelled in the Russian's face. “I've been raising her for almost a decade. I've had to sit through her tantrums and ptsd, I sure as hell can handle her hormones. This was a fluke.”

“I've known Snake far longer than you have, Kazuhira. You best be wary, or else your little family will be split up and ruined.” Kaz spits in Ocelot's face, causing the cowboy to drop him and stomp out.

A few hours pass before Kaz walks into Ofelia's room to find her laying down, facing away from the door. “Bean sprout...?” He only gets a tired and aggressive hum in response. _Kaz, you have royally fucked up._ He sits beside her and hugs his knees, sitting in silence as he tries to figure out what to say. “I just wanted to apologize.”

“No, no, it's fine. I shouldn't have said what I did.” He watches her sit up, a bruise forming on her cheek. He reaches out to touch it, and feels his heart ache as she flinches away from him. “P-Please.... just don't touch me.”

“I honestly didn't mean for that to happen. I don't even remember backhanding you.” He knows that's not helpful. He needs to take responsibility. “I had a severe lapse in judgment, and I'm sorry. ”

“Am I still grounded?” She doesn't meet his eyes.

“Well, seeing as you basically wished me dead and straight up tried to break my heart, yes. Yes you are.” He stays silent for a few more moments. “But I just want you to know that I still love and care for you.” Another long pause as he tries to pry himself from this hole he's dug. “It's been so hard.... without your dad.”

“I wonder how different things would be if he was here....” Kaz looks to her. She took the words right out of his mouth.

“I'm sure he would've beat my ass right then and there for hurting you. And probably dumped me. Both emotionally and physically. Into the ocean.” He watches Ofelia smile and laugh a bit, and can't help but laugh himself. “You.... don't hate me, right?”

“Of course not.... You're just looking out for me.” Kaz offers his arm and feel relieved when she accepts the side hug. “I love you, Dadtron 2000.” This gets Kaz laughing before he ruffles her hair.

“I'll be back with some food for you later... Keep being a kid, okay?”

“For now, Kaz... for now.”

 


End file.
